Shades of Grey: In Truth, None Of It Was Fiction
by KarmaHope
Summary: Karmyn Dallas was Normal. She had her skeletons, but everyone does. She had thought her life was boring, but she wants it back- anything but THIS. THIS wasn't real. It couldn't be! It was FICTION, a STORY. But in truth, none of it was... and the proof was standing right in front of her, telling her she couldn't go back. Get used to fiction- it's reality. (REWRITE POSTED!)
1. Dear Civilization

_Dear Civilization, Modern World, 21__st__ Century:_

_My story starts approximately one hundred years ago, with a gate. This gate separated fact and fiction. It was the border between this world that we know and the fantasy land of Amestris. A black line, if you will. If you had asked me about it, I would've said that not only was the line fictional, it was also so distinct that there was no way around it. But after one fateful occurrence, that same line kept getting blurrier and blurrier, until I could no longer tell what was fiction- and what was, in Truth, fact._

_I swear upon the word of Truth that every word recorded here is true, written and compiled by my dear friend Karma Hope, with help from those of us who witnessed these encounters firsthand, yet can never return to tell of our adventures ourselves. _

_You may only see this as fiction, as I would have if things had not turned out the way they did. That's okay. All you need to know is that the Truth is out there, always watching, always waiting, until it finds the correct moment to pounce._

_Yours Truly,_

_Karmyn Dallas, Amestris, 20__th__ Century_


	2. August 31, 2011

**Update: December 9, 2014**

**KarmaHope here. It has been three years since I wrote this story, and I am almost halfway through my senior year of high school. Before you invest yourself in this story, you should know that I am currently rewriting it at the level I wished it had been written originally. **_**Rewriting Fiction**_** features the same characters and the same general plot, and is written with a much more mature attitude than I used when I wrote **_**In Truth, None of it Was Fiction**_**. It is currently in-progress.**

**I'm not saying "don't read this story." I'm just saying that there is a better version out there … though this one, for the first ever big writing project I did (at age 14) is not bad.**

**This one has been preserved in its original everything.**

* * *

><p><em>Hiya, all. It's me again, this time with an FMA story. As you can tell, I have a major case of FFADD, or FanFictioner's Attention Deficit Disorder- meaning I can't concentrate on one story at a time. It's really annoying.<em>

_Sorry I haven't updated anything else in a while, in case you've read my other works. On the bright side, I just completed eighth grade, and now it's the summer, so I *should* have no excuse not to update faster. Oh, and I was one of the top ten students with the highest average grades for the past three years. I feel special!_

_Enough about everything else. Onto this story:_

_**IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!**_

_It's based off of Brotherhood, because I know that one a lot better, and I like the characters! However, it has the aspect of the original anime in which they ended up on our side of the Gate. Got it? 1 Amestrian year equals approximately 100 years on this side of the gate. So, Ed and Al have been around for approximately less than a century, yet they age at the Amestrian rate, so they're still young._

_So, yes, they're 90 years old. And there will be times within this story that you think 'But they're 90, shouldn't they know that already?' or 'They wouldn't be doing that after a hundred years,' or 'That would never happen,' or 'Yada yada yada blah blah blah,' (Because that's what you might as well be saying, at least to me). __**I KNOW**__. Just roll with me on this one, okay? Now you're probably getting bored with reading this author's note, so I'm gonna start the story. But if you notice anything blaringly off on something, please let me know!_

-o-O-o-

**August 31, 2011**

_Dear Diary,_

_For most of my life, I've considered 'dawn' to be an overused and over poetic term for the sun rising. It makes an ordinary occurrence seem extraordinary when really, it's quite boring. Use 'dawn broke' instead of 'the sun rose,' and suddenly there are words attached to it- hope, rebirth, a new beginning. I usually dismiss the sunrise, but this morning, I find those words to be true. This day is the dawn of a new beginning. I can feel it . . . but why?_

Karmyn Dallas flipped her journal closed with a snap. Setting it down on her bedside table, she turned toward the window and looked outside at the pinks and oranges of the said sunrise.

She didn't know how long she stared out the window, but when she finally glanced over at her alarm clock, she leapt to her feet. She was going to be late for school!

Scrambling around her room, she quickly gathered what she would need for that day. Five binders, a folder, several pencils and pens and other assorted items later, she flung her backpack over her shoulders, nearly knocking herself off balance. She ran out into the hallway and half-fell half-ran down the stairs.

Pausing to recollect herself at the bottom, she dashed through the rest of the house to the front door, grabbing a Pop-Tart on the way out. She called out a general good-bye over her shoulder to her mom, and then she was gone.

Once she was out the door, Karmyn looked down at her watch. Good. She had made up for the time she had lost, and more. Now she could walk at a leisurely pace down to the bus stop. She slowed her stride, breathing deeply, taking in the warm late-summer air.

She was looking forward to this year- her junior year in high school. She would have more freedoms than the freshmen and sophomores, yet not have the stresses of graduating like the seniors. She was sixteen, having turned so in June, and she finally had her driver's license. She had considered driving to school that morning, but in the end decided to take the bus.

Karmyn was about three quarters of the way to the bus stop when the lumbering vehicle made its appearance further down the road. Spotting it out of the corner of her eye, she once again moved into a run, making it to the bus stop at the same time the bus did. Still breathing heavily, she got on with the rest of the students.

She scanned the seats with her eyes once, twice, three times- before settling on the seat with her best friend. Grinning, she went and sat down, high-fiving her friend as she did so. Her friend grinned back.

"So- nearly missed it again today, did we?" Katherine teased.

Karmyn was quick to correct her. "No- I caught it just in time!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. I know the truth."

"Well then you've got a twisted sense of the truth!"

The two friends stared at each other for a long while, each girl silently daring the other one to make the first move. Eventually, they both ended up in a fit of giggles.

"How have you been, Katherine? I haven't spoken to you in a while."

"'A while' being a week, right?"

"Hai!"

"Anime freak," Katherine muttered under her breath, just loud enough for Karmyn to hear.

Karmyn glared at her. "Potterhead," she accused.

"And proud of it."

Ten minutes later, the two of them got off the bus at the high school along with the other students. They paused for a moment at the doors of the school.

"What locker number have you got?" Katherine asked, "I have 247."

Karmyn glanced down at the number she had written on her wrist that morning. "360."

"I guess we part ways here, then."

"Yep- see you later!"

Walking down the hall to her locker, Karmyn took the time to say hello to many of her friends that she hadn't seen over the summer. She stopped at locker number 360, twirling the combination lock and successfully opening the door. She heaved her backpack off her shoulder and quickly emptied the contents into the hollow space. Glancing at her schedule, she retrieved what she would need for her first classes.

She had English 11 first, then Chemistry. _(A/N- I don't actually know if you take chemistry junior year, but roll with me on this.)_ Karmyn didn't care too much for English- it often entailed long and complicated essays. On the other hand, she was really looking forward to her Chem class. She _loved_ chemistry- ever since she was a little girl. Suddenly, her day was starting to look up!

-o-O-o-

After nearly falling asleep in English, Karmyn was in a hurry to get to her chemistry class. She prayed that her Chem teacher didn't talk nearly as much as her English teacher had. That in itself would be a blessing.

She was so busy with her thoughts that she didn't notice the two people in front of her stop until it was nearly too late. She almost crashed into the back of the taller one, managing to stop just in time. Irritated, she cleared her throat and spoke up.

"Uhm- excuse me?"

She almost laughed when they jumped, quickly turning around to look at her. As soon as they had, she regretted speaking up.

The two of them were _hot._ They both had long, dark brown hair. The shorter one had it pulled back in a low ponytail, while the taller (she assumed it was his brother) let it hang loose. Their eyes were a bright blue, brighter than she had ever seen before. Karmyn took a small step backwards.

"Ah- you were- uhm- you stopped- ah- sorry." She stammered, quickly losing her nerve. "I- uhm- must be going. I'll- ah- be late."

Kicking herself for being such a coward, Karmyn turned and walked past the two students in front of which she had just embarrassed herself.

_And there I go making a fool of myself again,_ she thought grimly to herself. _This, Karmyn, is why you still don't have a boyfriend._

Karmyn decided to ignore what she just told herself and continued walking. She could see the door to her chemistry class now. Picking up the pace, she made it into the room without further mishap, choosing to sit at one of the empty tables. Quietly, she began to pull out what she would need for class.

As class began, she started to relax, listening eagerly to the teacher. Suddenly, the class grew extremely silent as the door opened once more. The teacher looked over, a wide grin replacing the serious look on his face.

"Now class, as I'm sure you all know each other by now, having been in the same classes before, I'll take this time to introduce the new students to our school system."

Karmyn was puzzled, until the teacher walked to the back of the room and grabbed the students' shoulders, steering them to the front of the room Karmyn let out an inaudible gasp, her eyes widening.

"Boys and girls, I would like to introduce Willard and Alfred Cirle. They are transfer students that have just come over from England. I'd like you to make them feel at home."

There was a general murmur of assent from the room. The teacher nodded, pleased.

"Now, boys. There's an empty table there behind Karmyn. From the looks of it, she'll take good care of you."

Karmyn hid her face with her hair as her eyes widened in horror. Why? Why did it have to be her? The two of them surely thought that she was a blundering moron. How could she face them after that incident in the hallway?

As the brothers walked past her table, she cautiously peeked up at them out of the corner of her eye. At first, it looked as if they'd just walk by as if she wasn't there. That would've been fine with her. But then, the shorter of the two glanced down at her with a small smirk affixed upon his face.

Karmyn couldn't help but cringe slightly at the sinking feeling in her stomach. What had she gotten herself into?

-o-O-o

_How was that for a first chapter? I don't have a beta for this story, so I'm on my own and there are probably many mistakes that I need to fix._

_So- Good? Bad? Acceptable? Please review! Reviews are the difference between this story winning or being worm food . . . and worm food doesn't taste so great. Trust me._

_So- press that magical blue hyperlink of awesomeness?_

**V**


	3. August 31, 2011 Cont

_Second chapter! Yay! I'm on a roll! I know the time thing is a little confuzzling, but it will make more sense later. And I had a new idea regarding Karmyn, so if it seems a little disconnected from the previous chapter, I'm sorry. But here's chapter two._

_Who the hell are the two boys? Let's see if you can figure it out . . ._

_Oh, and those of you who bother to follow or favorite, can you make some time to review as well?_

-o-O-o-

**August 31, 2011**

Karmyn continued to sit through her Chem class, slightly tensed. Were they watching her? She refused to turn around and look. That would be admitting weakness and defeat. She wouldn't give them that satisfaction. She sat listening to the teacher, whom she now knew was called Mr. Mason.

Occasionally, she would nod slightly to something she agreed with, or murmur comments under her breath to herself. She thought she had been quiet, but after she thought she heard a small 'heh' from behind her, she stopped the latter.

She smirked when she heard Mr. Mason ask how many people knew all the elements of the periodic table. This was one she could win.

She quickly raised her hand before the teacher was even done asking the question. From the expression on his face, she could tell he was surprised.

"Well, now. Usually I don't even have one student who knows this. Now I have two. I'm impressed. Willard- you know?"

What? Somebody else knew as well? Karmyn stood up, glancing around the room. Her eyes landed on the victorious gaze of the shorter Cirle brother. She glared back.

As he began listing them off in order, she turned back to the front. By the look on Mr. Mason's face, he was extremely impressed with the new student.

Needless to say, Karmyn was pissed. She would find a way to show this newcomer up, no matter how good-looking he was. She wouldn't be beaten. As Willard finished, Karmyn turned back in her seat and looked defiantly at him.

"You left out the placeholder elements," she announced loudly, before listing them off. Willard just looked back at her.

"But those aren't actually elements yet, so they don't count."

Karmyn smirked. This was where she would knock him down. "Obviously you haven't heard about elements 116 and 114. They were confirmed just this year. All they need to do is decide on a name for them."

She turned around abruptly, not letting him respond. Let him chew on that.

"Karmyn, may I speak with you after class?" She sank as she heard that sentence.

"Yes, Mr. Mason."

He didn't understand. How could he let the newcomer come prancing in here with all the right answers? Not to mention that there was something about his voice that bothered her, besides the fact that it pissed her off. She could've sworn that she had heard it before . . .

The rest of class went uneventfully. As the bell rang, signaling that it was time to switch classes, Karmyn approached Mr. Mason's desk, prepared for the worst. It wouldn't have surprised her if she got a detention on the first day of school. She was completely unprepared for what came next.

"Karmyn Dallas," her teacher mused, "Are you in any way related to Marie Dallas?"

She looked down at her feet. She hated discussing this topic. She was always treated differently after people found out. "She's my mother," she finally admitted.

If she hadn't been so concentrated on the conversation at hand, she would've noticed the slight shuffling in the back stop dead.

"I see- I thought so. I assume she's already taught you some," the teacher prodded.

"Yes, Mr. Mason. I grew up with it."

'It' being chemistry. Marie Dallas was a big-shot chemistry professor at Harvard, and one of the more well-known chemists in the world.

"So- how's she been?"

Karmyn hesitated before answering. "She was on the team for element 116. They're thinking of naming it Dallium after her."

"Very impressive. I might need to work with you privately, as what you'll be learning in this class will be child's play to you . . . now off you go. You'll be late to lunch if you stay for much longer."

"Ah, yes, Mr. Mason. Thank you."

"Oh, and you boys in the back- you'd better get going too."

Karmyn whirled around, her glare finding the bane of her existence at the moment. The two of them had been staring blindly at her.

"What're you looking at?" she shot at them. They had no time to answer as she turned on her heel and fled through the door, running her hand through her hair exasperatedly.

If she had stayed behind, she would've seen them exchange meaningful glances at each other.

-o-O-o-

Karmyn all of threw her binders into her locker. Why had this day gone so wrong? Irritated, she stalked down the hall to where she knew the lunchroom was.

Once she had obtained her tray of inedible slop that everyone always ate anyways, she walked over to where Katherine was sitting and slammed it down, falling into her seat shortly after.

"How's your day been? 'Cause mine's been just great," she said darkly to her friend.

"Oh, come, now. It can't have been that bad," her friend chided her.

"Yeah, it could be!" Karmyn shot back, "If you had been in my chemistry class, you would know!"

"Okay, spill. What happened?"

Karmyn began to relay the occurrences that had unfolded that morning, talking quickly.

"It's so screwed up, Kat. First I stammer like an idiot, and then I go and challenge him in the middle of class!"

Pushing her tray away, she buried her face in her hands. She would deal with this, eventually. Right now, she just had to calm down. She started breathing deeply, attempting to calm herself. She had almost done it when a familiar snarky voice cut its way through her consciousness.

"Having difficulties, Dallas?"

"I am now," she muttered darkly, looking at the figure sitting across from her. She cast a side glance at Katherine. "Who the hell invited you here?" she asked him, already knowing the answer.

"What?" Katherine asked innocently. "Al sits next to me in American Studies. I invited him to sit with us today, since he doesn't know anyone else. Willard came with him."

Al? Figures. She'd meet someone with the name of someone from one of her favorite anime series, and he happened to take the co-spot of the bane of her existence.

She glanced over at him suspiciously. He noticed, and smiled tiredly back. _Sorry_, he mouthed, jerking his head toward his brother. Karmyn smiled wryly, the suspicion gone from her eyes. _That_ brother was alright, she decided.

"So, Al, where are you from?" She asked him politely, purposely snubbing his brother.

"Ah! We've come over from England," he replied.

Now that Karmyn concentrated, she could pick out a bit of a British accent. _Great,_ she thought, _hot guys just got hotter. And they hate me. Well, one does anyways._

Katherine broke in. "Are you two twins? That would be awesome!"

Again, Al answered for the both of them. "No, we're not twins. I skipped a grade a while back, so now we're together. Right, E-Willard?"

Neither girl paid attention to the slip. However, Karmyn did see Willard shoot his brother a glare before speaking.

"Yep. And it's a great thing, too!" Willard grinned widely, showing all his teeth. Something about that poked at Karmyn's brain, but she couldn't tell what.

"Wait," Katherine spoke, "You mean you're the younger one?"

As Alfred agreed, Karmyn noticed Willard flinch visibly. She chuckled to herself at his reaction.

Backing herself out of the conversation, she withdrew a pencil from her back pocket and grabbed her unused napkin.

Distracting herself, she began to sketch out Edward Elric's eye from Fullmetal Alchemist. Katherine looked over at what she was doing, accused her of being an anime freak for the second time that day, and went back to talking with the brothers.

"So- you're the daughter of Marie Dallas?"

Karmyn's pencil jerked across the paper, nearly ruining the drawing she was working on.

"Ah, bleep! Look what you made me do!"

Willard paid no attention. "Are you?"

"YES! God dammit, and none the better off for it! Now leave me alone!"

She began furiously erasing the line that scored across the napkin, taking her anger out on her drawing.

"What do you mean, 'none the better off for it?'" Al asked innocently.

Karmyn sighed, defeated. "All my life, I've been living in her shadow. People always just refer to me as 'Marie Dallas' daughter' and expect me to be just like her. Well I'm sorry to burst your bubbles, but I'm not! So lay off it! Don't get me wrong, I love my mother. I'm just not like her."

Returning her concentration to her drawing, she finished the shading of the iris. She was contemplating putting a transmutation circle off-center behind it when Al leaned over.

"Whatcha drawing?"

Karmyn held up the napkin for him to see. Willard glanced up as well. The two pairs of unnaturally blue eyes widened significantly before turning to each other to exchange a glance.

"Y-you're a good drawer," Willard choked.


	4. September 1, 2011

_Chappie Trois! :P _

_Looking back on it, Willard had really bad grammar in his last sentence, 'You're a good drawer.' It should have been 'You draw well' or something like that. But oh, well. Let's just say that he was really shocked or something._

_And I forgot to mention in the last chapter that while element 116 and 114 are real, there was not a Marie Dallas on the research team, and element 116 DOES NOT have the properties I'm giving it. So- don't take anything regarding it as fact._

_I'm attempting to work out more of the story in my head at the moment, and I have really good ideas- I want to skip ahead and write those parts! But I can't . . ._

_I'm sorry if I don't update more often, but I'm currently working on a non- FFN Fullmetal Alchemist project, which will take the better part of a year or more . . . But I can't tell you what it is yet! I'll probably spill in about a year . . ._

_ONTO THE STORY!_

-o-O-o-

**September 1, 2011**

"Hey, Mom?"

Karmyn sat at the kitchen table, eating a more leisurely breakfast of cereal rather than the Pop-Tart of the morning before. Her mother, having no classes to teach until that afternoon, sat across from her, typing on her laptop computer.

"Yes, Karmyn?"

Karmyn smiled softly at that. Unlike most other moms, her mother had never called her 'Honey' or 'Sweetheart' or anything else like that. Personally, she preferred it that way.

"How's the research going?"

For the past few years, 'research' automatically meant 'Element 116' in the Dallas household. Hearing the question, the older woman pursed her lips before looking up at her daughter.

"You're not going to believe me on this one, but yesterday, as we were testing, one of my colleagues just . . . disappeared. It was the strangest thing. He was there one minute, took one step forward to get a closer look, and _poof_! He was gone."

"Are you sure the Gate didn't take him?" Karmyn asked. It was a running joke between the two of them. Karmyn was next to obsessed with Fullmetal Alchemist, and had explained it in great detail to her mother on more than one occasion. It had come to be that whenever something disappeared in their household without explanation, the common excuse was 'the Gate claimed it.' It was rather ridiculous sometimes. They had yet to figure out what Truth wanted a teaspoon measure for. . .

Marie Dallas smiled and shook her head. "No, Karmyn. This is no joke. I don't think the Gate took him."

"Darn. I wanted proof that Amestris was real! You just have to go dashing my hopes, don't you?" She turned a joking glare onto her mother. Her mother just laughed.

"I'm afraid so. Now go on, you're going to miss the bus at this rate!"

-o-O-o-

Once again, the bus ride wasn't special. Katherine accused Karmyn of being an otaku, and Karmyn called Katherine a hopeless Potterhead. It was no different than any other day.

And, once again, Karmyn nearly fell asleep in English class. No big surprise there, really.

_On the plus side, _she thought as she sat at the table she had claimed yesterday in the Chemistry classroom, _I haven't run into _those_ people again yet._

She was so deep in thought that Mr. Mason had to call her name twice before she acknowledged it. Hearing snickers from behind her, she refused to turn around. She wouldn't give that jerk the satisfaction of her irritation.

Mr. Mason began the lesson after attendance. Starting everyone on the lab that they would be doing that day, he quietly walked over to where Karmyn was sitting.

"Karmyn," he spoke quietly, "I assume you already know this already?"

Karmyn nodded. She had already gotten the lab half completed, while everyone else, as far as she could tell, was still on the first step.

"Okay, here," Mr. Mason offered, putting another paper in front of her. "This goes a little further into the lab than what the others have. I think you'll find this to be more to your level."

She looked at the paper in front of her. Indeed, this one was certainly more complicated, but still pretty easy. Her mother had taught her more. Still, she had to be polite. "Thank you, Mr. Mason."

As soon as the teacher left, Willard was quick to speak up.

"So- you get special treatment, huh?"

Karmyn couldn't take it anymore. She whirled around, glaring Willard in the face.

"Well sor-_ry_. It's just that _I_ grew up with this material, so this lab was _slightly_ unhelpful to me. _This_ one-" here she held the paper up in front of her- "Is still under my level, but not quite so much."

Willard snatched the paper out of her hands. "Let me see that!"

Holding the paper in front of him, he began to read it over. Alfred, who was sitting next to him, leaned over and studied it as well. Their eyes widened.

"You find this easy?" Alfred asked. "Most people would be scratching their heads."

"Not that it's hard, by any stretch of the truth. We've been doing stuff like this for a while now. We just didn't think anyone else our age could." Willard explained, scrutinizing the paper. He and Alfred exchanged glances.

Karmyn grabbed her paper back. Even though the process was easy, it was still time consuming. If she didn't start soon, she wouldn't finish by the end of class. Surprisingly, Willard let it go.

Turning back to the materials in front of her, she started. She barely paid attention when Mr. Mason walked by her table, concentrating whole-heartedly on her work. When she felt the presence of someone sitting in the chair beside her, she started.

When she looked up, Willard was there next to her, quietly laughing at her small jump.

"Wh- What are you doing here?" She asked, flustered. He shrugged.

"We asked Mr. Mason if we could work with you. We already finished the other lab." He waved his hand toward the table behind them, where he and Alfred had been sitting.

Alfred was sitting at the end of the table, having pulled up a chair. "You were right- that lab _was_ really easy. So, we've come to work with you. This one looks more interesting."

Karmyn sighed, resigned. "Okay. We can work together." _It's not like I have a choice,_ she thought bitterly.

-o-O-o-

The rest of Chem class went well. The Cirle brothers, she found out, weren't nearly as bad as she had made them out to be, though Willard could still be extremely annoying at times.

As the three of them stood to leave, Karmyn accidentally knocked one of Willard's binders off of the table, causing various papers to spill out. Mortified, she began to pick them up.

"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, frantically gathering papers. She attempted to get them in some sort of order.

Willard sighed tiredly. "It's okay. It's partially my fault for leaving it on the edge of the table like that."

As soon as she had the papers re-organized, she stuffed them back in the binder. About to close it, she paused, her eyes landing on something that caught her attention. She looked at it for a minute before closing the binder and handing it back to Willard.

As the three of them walked down the hall away from the Chem room, she asked him about it.

"You have a friend that cosplays?"

Startled, Willard turned to look at her, before looking at Alfred, who was walking on the other side of her. Karmyn couldn't understand his expression. _What's with the deer-in-the-headlights look?_ she wondered.

"Uhm, yeah," Willard responded. "We do."

"That's okay. I understand completely."

"You do?"

Karmyn could've sworn that Willard's voice squeaked on those words. Why was he so panicked?

"Yeah, I do," she told him. "I'm a manga fan too. I don't usually cosplay, but still."

"Oh, okay." Willard sounded relieved, which confused Karmyn even further.

"Can I meet her sometime?"

"That . . . might not be possible." It was Alfred that spoke that time.

"Why not?" Karmyn asked him, "I'm a fan of Fullmetal Alchemist too! I'm sure we would be great friends!"

Seeing the looks on their faces, she dropped the subject. _What's with the sad face?_ she wondered. Something didn't seem right with these people . . .

-o-O-o-

_Chapter complete! Sorry if it was cruddy in the beginning, it took me a while to warm up. Also, I apologize that Alfred hasn't had all that big of a part . . . I'll try to work on that._

_So, reviews? What's wrong with these two boys? HELP KARMYN FIGURE IT OUT! Oh, and I update faster with reviews. And I want to update faster, because I LOVE WRITING THIS STORY! But I lose motivation if no one is actually reading it. SO PLEASE REVIEW!_

_So- press that magical blue hyperlink of awesomeness AND RAINBOWS?_

**V**


	5. September 1, 2011 Cont

_Chapter four already! O.O But I'm still not satisfied. I wanna get to the later chapters of this story NOW! We aren't even done with the exposition yet . . . so hang on there!_

_Yes, I changed the summary of this story. The old one might've been so confusing that it drove the readers away . . . so I changed it. Damned 250 character count, I don't have enough space to even start summarizing the story!_

_So, here we are. Chapter four. I hope you've enjoyed this so far . . . I certainly have!_

_I've had a request for longer chapters. I will try, but if they're still somewhat short, don't kill me- please. I prefer to be the one _killing_ than the one being _killed. _ . . so watch your backs._

_Oh, and I've been wondering, am I taking this story too fast? Should I attempt to slow the chain of events down a bit? I mean, it's only chapter four, and, well, you'll see . . . thoughts? Opinions?_

_**AND I NEED THE DATE THAT ED LEFT AMESTRIS!**__ If I don't get that then I won't be able to post the dates at the beginning of the chapters like I have been doing and I want to continue doing so. So if one of you could get it to me . . . I'd be eternally grateful!_

_One last thing- 'Lunch' is a stupid word. I've just decided._

-o-O-o-

**September 1, 2011**

Karmyn was left puzzling as she and her newfound friends walked down to lunch. She didn't understand why the topic of that girl in the photo had been such a downer. She hadn't been getting the vibes that the girl was dead, yet . . .

She shook her head clear of the situation. She shouldn't be worrying about that now. If the boys wanted to tell her, they would. She wasn't about to go sticking her nose into other people's business. She had been friends with someone like that once. It wasn't an experience she wanted to repeat, much less impose on someone else.

The three of them got their lunches and sat at the table that they had claimed the day before. Katherine wasn't all that far behind them. The four ate in silence for a few minutes before Katherine spoke up.

"I assume you've negotiated a peace treaty," she said to Karmyn, who nearly choked on her food before nodding.

"Yeah. They're working with me in Chemistry, so if we were fighting, we'd most likely blow something up."

Willard and Alfred nodded their agreement, smiling.

"Although," Karmyn continued, "That could be kinda fun . . ."

The elder brother's face split into a wide grin. "Ah, yeah! That WOULD be fun!"

Karmyn and Willard hit high fives as Alfred spoke a wary "Brother? Karmyn?"

The duo in question just looked at him, still smiling.

Katherine sighed and shook her head. "The two of you are too much alike for your own good. Reckless, smart, Chem freaks, short . . ."

Karmyn seethed in anger at that comment, while Willard exploded.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT YOU COULD SQUISH UNDER YOUR BOOT?" he snapped, albeit quietly.

Alfred suddenly looked panicked.

"Brother! Don't!" he practically hissed at his elder sibling.

"You're an FMA fan too, huh?"

Nobody needed to look to confirm that it was Karmyn who had asked the question.

"Uhm, I guess you could say that," Willard began hesitantly.

"Yeah," Alfred agreed.

Karmyn could tell that they weren't comfortable with talking about it, so she changed the subject.

"So- Willard, Alfred, do you want to work together on that Chem project Mr. Mason assigned?"

Although it was only the second day of school, Mr. Mason hadn't been easy on his class. While the rest of the class worked their way slowly through the assignments they had been given, he had talked to his elite trio of students and given them a harder project pertaining to what the rest of the class was doing.

"Well, yeah," Alfred said, "I thought that we already were."

"Oh," Karmyn responded, taken aback. "Alright! I'll ask my mom if you two can come over tomorrow to work on it!" She paused. "Can I have your number so I can call you?" she asked hesitantly. She didn't want the brothers to take it the wrong way. Usually, if a girl asked a guy for their number, it was because she was . . . _interested_. Which she wasn't. Well, was. Well . . . let's just move on now, shall we?

"Oh, right! Al, do you have a marker?"

"Here, brother."

Alfred passed the black Crayola marker to Willard, who then proceeded to write 'CIRLE- xXx-XxX-xXXx' on the back of Karmyn's right hand. She glanced down at it before looking back up at the brothers and nodding.

"Thank you."

Katherine cleared her throat, catching the others' attentions. "If you're done with your little cryptic convo, I'm still here . . ." she pointed out to them.

Karmyn laughed. "Of course, Katherine. Of course."

The four of them continued to talk until the break was over.

-o-O-o-

The rest of the school day went uneventfully. When she got home, Karmyn kicked the door in, her hands full.

"I'm home!" she called to the empty house. She got no response.

Karmyn could never tell when her mom would be home and when she wouldn't. She sometimes stayed late at Harvard with the students, and she worked weird (at least according to Karmyn) shifts at the lab where they were working with Element 116. At first it had been hard on her, but she had gotten used to the empty house.

She didn't know where her father was. He had walked out a few years back, when she was still in elementary school. Karmyn liked to pretend that he left because he couldn't let her know that he was a rotting immortal or that he was actually a living philosopher's stone, but at the end of the day, she knew the truth.

He had just been fed up.

Fed up with how his wife was always working, always studying or creating lesson plans or taking shifts at the lab.

Fed up with how he was stuck caring for their only daughter instead of going out and doing what he wanted with his buddies.

Fed up with how Marie had insisted on teaching Karmyn the basics and novices of chemistry at such a young age.

Fed up with his chemistry- focused family.

So he left.

The bastard.

Karmyn sighed, heaving her backpack up the stairs to her room. Chucking it on the floor, she climbed onto her bed and lay back, staring at the ceiling.

The week before school started, she had attached pictures of her favorite manga characters to the ceiling above her pillow. She had pictures of Edward Elric and other FMA characters, Tsuruga Ren and Mogami Kyoko from Skip Beat, the crew from One Piece, Kurosaki Ichigo from Bleach (yes, she was one of the rare people who liked both), and most recently, Tsukasa, Ryuji and Akira from Tokyo Crazy Paradise.

She had found that looking at the pictures relaxed her somewhat, so after a few minutes she sat up and grabbed her homework from her bag, starting it early. She finished in fifteen minutes, leaving her free to do what she wanted for the rest of the afternoon.

Slowly, Karmyn wandered down the stairs, checking to see if her mom had returned yet. Negative. Deciding not to dwell on it, she returned to the second floor and walked into the bathroom.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she contemplated the person staring back at her. That person had medium-blonde hair that had been slightly curled that morning, making it wavy and reaching just past her shoulders. Her eyes were slightly larger than most, and a deep sapphire blue color with a hint of green. The girl was slender, but well-built. It would take more than one hit to knock her down.

_Unfortunately_, Karmyn thought wryly, _I can't knock anyone else down to save my life._

She reached up to tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear when she suddenly paused.

She blinked.

She looked.

She blinked again.

She looked down at her hand, which still read 'CIRLE- xXx-XxX-xXXx.' Slowly, she raised it and looked in the mirror once more.

The writing was reflected, causing her to read it backwards.

CIRLE- xXx-XxX-xXXx.

xXXx-XxX-xXx-ELRIC.

She looked at the writing once more, pinching herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. The letters were there, albeit backwards.

**E. L. R. I. C.**

Slowly, Karmyn sank to her knees. Could this be true? Was it really happening?

She ran over in her mind what she knew about the boys, Willard and Alfred. Or should she really be calling them, Edward and Alphonse?

She didn't know much. She instead ran over the instances she remembered since she met them.

_They both had long, dark brown hair._

"_Al sits next to me in American Studies."_

"_No, we're not twins. I skipped a grade a while back, so now we're together. Right, E-Willard?"_

_The two pairs of unnaturally blue eyes._

"_Y-you're a good drawer," Willard choked._

"_Not that it's hard, by any stretch of the truth. We've been doing stuff like this for a while now. We just didn't think anyone else our age could."_

"_That . . . might not be possible."_

"_WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT YOU COULD SQUISH UNDER YOUR BOOT?"_

Karmyn gasped. It was- it really was them! But how were they still her age? They should've been ninety or so by now! And they had brown hair . . . _Hair can be dyed_, she told herself.

She attempted to calm herself down, but it wasn't working. Still sunk down on the bathroom floor, she made up her mind.

With shaking hands, she reached into the back pocket of her jeans and retrieved her cell phone. It took her three tries before she entered the number written on her hand correctly. Her heart pounded as the phone rang. She was about to give up when someone picked up.

"Hello?" Willard's- no, _Edward's_ voice came through over the line. Attempting to gain control of her voice and breathing, she spoke.

"E-Willard?" she caught herself just in time before she gave the game away.

"Karmyn! Did your mom say that we could come over tomorrow?"

"Actually, Willard, can you and Alfred come over, like, right now?"

-o-O-o-

_Sorry for the cliffie . . . you're just gonna hafta wait. *evil laugh*_

_This chapter was a bit longer, I think; around 1,800 words . . . I don't remember what the others were._

_I'll update soon, I promise. Actually, it will be sooner to you rather than me. It's 1:00 am at the moment, and my internet's down, so I can't get this up until tomorrow. Or, later today. . . Wait . . . the internet's magically back up! I might be able to post this after all! . . . Never mind. I need to know the password, and I don't. Sorry. :'(_

_HOW MANY EFFING TIMES DO I NEED TO ASK YOU TO REVIEW? PLEASE DO SO!_

**IGOR! FLIP THE SWITCH! (or in this case, PRESS THE BUTTON!)**

**V**


	6. September 1, 2011 Cont II

_I am on a roll! As you can tell, I managed to get back on my internet this morning, so I posted the last chapter. Now I'm writing this one!_

_I really appreciate all the reviews I've gotten! Although, I only have a quarter many views as I've gotten hits . . . Is there anything I can do to raise that number up a bit? Opinions? Suggestions?_

_I'm happy that those of you who HAVE been reading this are enjoying it so far- I know I am!_

_So- Let's see how Karmyn's revelation plays out, shall we?_

-o-O-o-

**September 1, 2011**

"_Actually, Willard, can you and Alfred come over, like, right now?"_

Karmyn sat curled up on her bed, playing the events of the past half hour over and over in her head. She couldn't believe that she had called W- _**Edw**_ard and asked him and Al_**phonse**_ to come over to her house. What if she was wrong about then entire thing? What if they really were just Willard and Alfred Cirle?

She shook her head. _No,_ she told herself, _they are most certainly Edward and Alphonse._

Still, she kicked herself for calling them like that, especially when she was still trying to calm herself down. She had probably been too hasty, yet there was no going back now.

Biting her lip, she looked over at the clock. It had been ten minutes since the phone call on the bathroom floor. Her anxiety was rising with every passing minute, and if they didn't get there soon, she would have to go and find a paper bag to breathe into.

Attempting to focus on something else, _anything_ else than her stress levels, Karmyn ran over the phone call in her head again.

"_Uhm, yeah, Karmyn. I think so. I'll ask Al . . ."_

_Over the phone, Karmyn could hear _Edward_ call over his shoulder, "Al! Karmyn wants us to go over there now! Is that okay?"_

_She couldn't hear the answer, but when Edward finally responded, she got it._

"_Okay. We'll be over in a little bit. But why?"_

"_Uhm," Karmyn paused, not prepared with her answer. "I- I think it would be best to start this project sooner rather than later! And since I finished my homework early, I figured we could." _Yeah, yeah. That's the reason,_ she told herself._

_Here, Karmyn took a deep breath, calming her nerves. "Also, there are some things that I need to talk to the two of you about . . ."_

_There was silence on the other end of the line for what seemed like eternity. Finally, Edward replied, "A- alright." His voice expressed confusion, but he accepted the reason all the same._

"_We'll be over in a bit."_

"_Okay, great!"_

_The call disconnected, and Karmyn was left sitting on the cold bathroom floor thinking to herself, _what the hell did I just do?

Her attention was called back to the present at the sound of the doorbell. Bracing herself, she forced her legs to carry her downstairs. Putting a smile on her face, she opened the door.

There, standing outside her house as if it were the perfectly normal thing to do, were the two Elric brothers. Biting her tongue, Karmyn let them inside.

"Okay," she said, busying herself, "Your shoes can go there, and coats can get hung on those hooks." She gestured to the correct places and waited (somewhat) patiently as the brothers complied.

"I have a space up in my room that we can work in, and if we get far enough, we have a lab in the basement. My mom's not home yet, but she won't mind us using it." She began leading them through the house when Al asked her the question she had been dreading.

"What about your dad?"

"Got fed up. Walked out a few years ago, the bastard." she told them curtly, not bothering to be polite. If they were who she thought they were, they should understand that more than anyone.

"We know the feeling," Edward told her, confirming her suspicions once more.

"Sorry," Al apologized.

"Ah, right. Here we are. Please excuse the fact that I didn't have time to do any real cleaning." Karmyn opened the door and ushered them in. She saw the boys flinch slightly as they looked around.

_Right. I still have all my FMA pictures up . . . Oh well, it can't be helped now._

Clearing a space on the bed, she sat down and grabbed her Chem binder, opening it to the page on which they were supposed to be working. Looking up, she saw Ed and Al doing the same. Her confrontation could wait for a little bit.

-o-O-o-

With the three of them working together, they finished the paperwork in no time flat. The three of them were making their way down to the lab in the basement when Karmyn noticed that Al kept blinking and slightly rubbing at his right eye. Steeling herself, she decided to take the plunge.

"Contact bothering you?"

Alphonse startled, looking up at her. His eyes were wide in shock. Ed whirled around from where he was now in front of them, staring at the two of them. Karmyn didn't need to look to see his facial expression. Acting as if nothing was wrong, she continued.

"There are empty cases and some extra cleaning solution in the upstairs bathroom if you need it. I'm sure Mom wouldn't mind."

The Elric brothers stared, dumbfounded. Karmyn looked between them, her gaze flicking from Edward to Alphonse and back again. She sighed.

"Take it or leave it, but I'm sure that we all have some things to explain." She turned to Ed. "You too. I'm sure that they get pesky sometimes. It's not even like you need them to see, unlike most people."

The two boys continued to stand silently, their eyes not leaving the girl in front of them. Karmyn shook her head, sighing once more.

"If you boys want to run away and move to Chile or something, that's fine with me. It's not like I need help with the Chem project or anything, and I understand. However, just know that you don't need to hide here. Your secret's safe with me, Edward and Alphonse Elric."

With that, Karmyn turned heel and walked back to her room, the Chem project forgotten. She didn't look back, expecting the boys to be long gone. The last thing she expected was to feel a hand resting on her shoulder. Glancing over, she found herself looking into the false blue eyes of Alphonse.

"Thank you," he told her, before running up the stairs ahead of her to find the bathroom.

"The solution is located on the top shelf and the containers are on the bottom! Look for one that doesn't have any Sharpie marks on it!" She yelled up to him.

"Okay!" was the faint response.

Involved with her instructions to Al, Karmyn didn't notice Ed come up to stand behind her until he spoke.

"Do you mind . . .?" He asked, gesturing in the direction that Al had run off to.

Karmyn merely nodded, watching his retreating back. It was a few minutes before she finally resumed the trek to her room.

When she reached her destination, she slowly slipped inside, closing the door behind her. When she looked up, her eyes caught a pair of golden ones. Startled, she took a sudden step backwards and bumped into said door. Leaning against the wood panel, she caught her breath.

She looked back over at the two beings that had caused her such alarm, smiling sheepishly.

"Sorry about that. I wasn't expecting it, that's all."

The culprits smiled softly. "Sorry about that," Alphonse apologized.

"That's okay," Karmyn reassured him.

Her eyes once again flickered between the two boys sitting on her bed, one now grey-eyed, the other one with golden orbs.

"So it really is true," she muttered to herself. "I wasn't wrong."

"No, you weren't," Ed's voice reached her ears. She blushed for having been heard.

"And . . . that picture . . . from earlier today . . . that was actually Winry, wasn't it?"

"Yes," came the reply.

Karmyn looked down at her feet. "I guess you probably want to know how I found out, right?"

"That would be helpful," Edward told her.

Walking further into the room, Karmyn sat down on the floor in front of the bed, looking up at the two boys. She began telling them of the instances where she could tell that something was off about them.

"The big hints were, of course, the picture of Winry and your little 'short rant' in the cafeteria, Ed. Those convinced me of the fact. What practically told me your identities was this," she said, tapping the writing on her hand.

"Our phone number?" Al asked her, confused.

"Not the number, the name. When I saw it reflected in the mirror."

"Oh, right." Alphonse turned to his brother. "Brother! I _told_ you not to use something so freaking obvious as our name spelled backwards! But did you listen? No!"

"If you're going to blame someone, blame Dad- not me. He's the one who entered our records."

_Oh, so Hohenheim's still alive. I guess not everything happened the way the anime said it did,_ Karmyn thought.

"I do have a few questions," she told the quarreling brothers, who fell silent. "How are you still sixteen/seventeen, and why has no one found out about this before?"

Ed sighed. "We moved around a lot. We first lived in Germany, and when we realized what was happening we moved to France. We spent some time in Spain as well. We've spent the last few years of our lives in England, and then we moved here.

"As for why we're still young, we determined that for every year that passes in Amestris, one hundred years pass on this side of the Gate. Considering that we were born and raised in Amestris, our internal clocks are set to Amestrian time. It never changed when we came through the Gate to this side."

Karmyn nodded. It sounded plausible to her. To anyone else, it might have sounded plausible that the boys needed to be checked into a mental institution, but she understood them.

"Another thing," she told them, "You do know that there are two animes and a manga series based after your lives, correct? How have you escaped the fangirls who put two and two together?"

"That's when we usually take the cue to leave," Alphonse explained. "If we don't then we usually run into problems . . . even though nobody believes them when they tell people that we're the Elric brothers."

"So . . . why haven't you left yet?"

Edward interrupted. "You seem different. When we've been discovered before, it's always been "_Oh my God, you're Edward Elric! It was all true! Wait until my friends hear of this! What was it like in Amestris?_ And yada, yada, yada- They just wouldn't shut up!

"You, on the other hand, simply offered help. You didn't freak out. You just simply stated outright that you knew. And then you walked away as if you didn't care! Al and I discussed it quietly for a second, and we think that you might be able to help us."

Karmyn listened intently to Ed's explanation. She hadn't thought of it before, but it was true. She might be able to help them. Even if she couldn't, she made up her mind right there and then.

"I can certainly damn well try."

-o-O-o-

_Chapter five complete! And this one was two thousand words for those of you asking for longer chapters! _

_Now that the Elrics have an ally, they just need to find a way to get back! I have it practically figured out (as I damn well should- I'm the one writing the story!) but can you?_

_I'm thinking of changing the title of the story to 'Finding the Truth' or 'Discovering the Truth.' I don't think that 'Alchemical Equations' really fits the story anymore. What do you think?_

_Your opinions on this matter?_

**PRESS THE BUTTON TO STOP THE BOMB! **

**5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...**

**V**


	7. Elric Intervention I

_Hello! I'm finally getting around to updating again! Sorry for the wait. I was watching Kaichou Wa Maid-Sama and reading Bakuman, so I didn't really feel like making an effort . . . XP_

_Anyhow, this is not progressing the story any. I figured that I'd give you a chapter describing the events unfolded from the Elric's point of view. I want to fit all the chapters in this one chapter, so it'll probably be a long one! _

_I'll probably do an interlude like this every few chapters (I'm thinking five or so?). I've been writing in TPL (Third Person Limited), in Karmyn's POV (Point Of View), and I'm not going to change it. I think it works. But I want to give you Ed and Al's side of the story, so here it is._

_Sheesh. And I do not own any of this except _Karmyn_, _Marie_, _Mr. Mason_, and _Katherine_. Wait- _

**OWNING OTHER PEOPLE IS ILLEGAL IN THE U.S.! WHAT THE HELL SHOULD I DOOOOO?**

-o-O-o-

_**August 31, 2011**_

"I still don't understand why we do this every year," Edward grumbled as he walked up the steps to their new school. "We've been doing this for how long? Ninety years? I think it's time we got some time off!"

"Brother," Alphonse gently chided his elder sibling, "It's the best way to find out if there's anything new that we should know. It might even help us get a lead on how to get home!"

"You've been saying that for eighty-six of those ninety years. I think it's time for you to drop that excuse," Ed protested, "And there's the fact that it's getting harder to hide who we actually are. Remember that incident in London?"

Al shuddered as they entered the school. "Don't remind me. That was a fiasco."

Ed nodded his agreement. "Let's hope things go better here. I _don't _want to move to Zimbabwe," he stated as the two of them walked to their lockers.

His brother laughed.

-o-

The two of them met up again after their first class. Al had been in American Studies while Ed was in Math class _(I'm just gonna say math class- I don't know what math class you take in junior year, nor would it matter to them- they know all of it already! So again, roll with me on this!)_. After stopping at their lockers to get their things, they continued on their way.

They were already walking down the hall when Alphonse noticed what class was next on their schedule.

"Hey, brother! Look!"

Ed stopped walking, looking over at his younger sibling. He blinked, still not used to seeing Al's hair in a dark brown color. What was even more disturbing was the color of his eyes, which were a bright blue due to the colored contacts the two of them were required to wear. Shaking his head clear of those thoughts, he looked down at what his brother was pointing at.

He never actually got to see what Al was pointing at. He was interrupted by a small feminine voice sounding from behind him.

"Uhm- excuse me?"

To his dismay, he jumped. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Al do the same. Quickly, the two of them turned around.

Standing almost directly behind them was a girl. Her wavy blonde hair reached her shoulders, framing her face. Her large sapphire eyes seemed to bore into them, as if looking into their souls. When Alphonse examined them closer, he saw that there was a hint of green resting in the bottom portion of her irises, which caused them to look like small landscapes to one who took time to examine them.

Ed eyed her scrutinizingly. When Al saw the look on his face, he could have elbowed his brother.

_Brother, be nice! _He mentally told him, although he knew Ed couldn't hear him. His attention was snapped back to the girl when she spoke again.

"Ah- you were- uhm- you stopped- ah- sorry. I- uhm- must be going. I'll- ah- be late."

The two of them watched dumbfounded as she quickly walked away. It took him a few minutes, but Ed was the first one to come to.

"So, Al, what was it that you wanted to show me?"

"Oh! Right! We have chemistry next."

Ed snorted. "Piece of cake. Come on, Al. Let's do it!"

-o-

The two brothers stood up at the front of the Chem room, waiting patiently as the teacher introduced them as 'Willard-' and 'Alfred Cirle,' saying that they had come from England (which they had). It was their new alias. Al knew it was risky to use their own name spelled backwards, but he had been overruled by Edward and their father, Hohenheim. Eventually, he had given in. The teacher finished his introductory speech.

"Now, boys. There's an empty table there behind Karmyn. From the looks of it, she'll take good care of you."

Scanning the room with their eyes, they found the empty table that the teacher had been talking about. They also caught the movement of the girl sitting at the table before it.

_So her name's Karmyn, huh? _Ed mused as he walked up the aisle to the assigned table. He could tell that she was embarrassed about what had happened earlier. Her head was ducked and her hair was covering her face. As he walked by, he could see her peering cautiously up at them. _Maybe this'll be fun_, he thought, smirking down at her.

Al watched his brother smirk at the unfortunate girl. He felt bad for her, but he knew that if he acknowledged her, he would just make her feel worse. Once they were seated, he quietly elbowed his brother, shooting him an angry glare. Ed just shrugged. Reluctantly, he gave up.

The Elric brothers only paid half-attention to the lesson. Everything that Mr. Mason said was child's play to them. Of course, when he asked if anyone could name all the elements on the periodic table, Ed raised his hand quickly. Al didn't bother.

Both Ed and Al were shocked when Karmyn, the girl in front of them, raised her hand as well. Throughout their many, _many_ years of school, they had only come across one other person who could do so. As Ed remembered it, he was a geek and a total snob, too.

Apparently, it was rare for Mr. Mason as well.

"Well, now. Usually I don't even have one student who knows this. Now I have two. I'm impressed. Willard- you know?"

Edward stared victoriously at Karmyn as she turned around and glared at him. Unfazed, he began to list them off as if they were a second language to him, which they were.

Ed could tell that Mr. Mason was impressed. The teachers usually were. As he finished, he noticed that somewhere along the line, Karmyn had turned around again. However, as soon as he said the last element, she once again was facing them.

"You left out the placeholder elements," she announced loudly, before listing them off. Ed just looked back at her.

"But those aren't actually elements yet, so they don't count," he said, refusing to be beaten.

Karmyn smirked. "Obviously you haven't heard about elements 116 and 114. They were confirmed just this year. All they need to do is decide on a name for them."

She turned around abruptly, leaving a couple of stunned Elrics in her wake.

"Karmyn, may I speak with you after class?"

"Yes, Mr. Mason," was the tired reply to the order disguised as a query.

-o-

After class, the Elrics were busy organizing their papers and cleaning their materials. Out of the corner of their eyes, they could see Karmyn walk up to the teacher's desk. They didn't pause in their work, but began to listen.

"Karmyn Dallas," the teacher mused, "Are you in any way related to Marie Dallas?"

As they continued to pick the papers up, they heard her answer, "She's my mother."

The boys were stunned. Alphonse looked over at Ed. "Did she just say that she was the daughter of Marie Dallas?" he whispered.

Ed nodded. "I think so."

"That's great! That's the reason why we came to Boston in the first place! We need to talk to her mom!"

Ed nodded once again before shushing his brother. "Shh . . . listen to what they have to say!"

The two boys once again turned their attention to the conversation at the front of the room.

"I see- I thought so. I assume she's already taught you some," the teacher prodded the girl.

"Yes, Mr. Mason. I grew up with it."

The Elrics knew that they were talking about chemistry. What else would 'it' apply to with a chemistry professor at a famous college?

"So- how's she been?"

They head Karmyn hesitate before answering. "She was on the team for element 116. They're thinking of naming it Dallium after her."

_So that's why she was going on and on about placeholder elements. Her mom was part of the research team,_ Ed mused. _That explains some things . . . _He stopped his thought as Mr. Mason began speaking once again.

"Very impressive. I might need to work with you privately, as what you'll be learning in this class will be child's play to you . . . now off you go. You'll be late to lunch if you stay for much longer."

"Ah, yes, Mr. Mason. Thank you," the girl replied.

"Oh, and you boys in the back- you'd better get going too."

At first, they couldn't say anything as they stared at the girl who was the daughter of a famous chemist. It was only as she shot a "What're you looking at?" at them that they began to hurry to gather their things.

As she stormed out of the room, they exchanged a glance.

_Maybe this was what they had been waiting for._

-o-

They ditched their stuff at their locker and headed down to the cafeteria. Ed had been planning on grabbing an empty table, but Alphonse stopped him.

"We're sitting over there," Al told his older brother, pointing to a table at which already sat a black-haired girl. "That's Katherine. She was in my American Studies class. We're already friends."

As they watched, the girl who had already been greatly involved in their morning went and sat down next to the black-haired girl, slamming her tray onto the table before dropping into her seat. The Elrics had just arrived at the table when Karmyn sank her face into her hands. Edward couldn't resist. He sat down across from her before opening his mouth.

"Having difficulties, Dallas?"

"I am now," she muttered darkly at him. He saw her cast a glance at her friend. "Who the hell invited you here?" she asked.

"What?" Katherine asked innocently. "Al sits next to me in American Studies. I invited him to sit with us today, since he doesn't know anyone else. Willard came with him."

_True fact, _Ed thought.

Al saw Katherine look over at him suspiciously. She did have the right, after all that had transpired. He smiled tiredly. _Sorry,_ he mouthed, jerking his head towards Edward. He was relieved as the suspicion disappeared from her eyes.

"So, Al, where are you from?" She asked him politely.

"Ah! We've come over from England," he replied. At least he didn't have to lie about that.

Katherine broke in excitedly. "Are you two twins? That would be awesome!"

Again, Al answered for the both of them. "No, we're not twins. I skipped a grade a while back, so now we're together. Right, E-Willard?"

Alphonse mentally kicked himself for the slip-up. He also earned himself a glare from Ed. Luckily; neither of the girls paid any attention.

"Yep. And it's a great thing, too!" Edward grinned widely, showing all his teeth, attempting to draw any remaining attention away from Al's slip of the tongue.

"Wait," Katherine spoke, "You mean you're the younger one?" she asked Al.

As Alphonse agreed, Ed struggled to contain his anger at the implied statement that he was short, involuntarily flinching. As soon as he recovered, he asked the blonde-haired girl the question that was on his mind.

"So- you're the daughter of Marie Dallas?"

Karmyn's pencil jerked across the paper, nearly ruining the drawing she was working on.

"Ah, bleep! Look what you made me do!"

Ed paid no attention. "Are you?"

"YES! God dammit, and none the better off for it! Now leave me alone!"

She began furiously erasing the line that scored across the napkin, taking her anger out on her drawing.

"What do you mean, 'none the better off for it?'" Al asked curiously.

Karmyn sighed. "All my life, I've been living in her shadow. People always just refer to me as 'Marie Dallas' daughter' and expect me to be just like her. Well I'm sorry to burst your bubbles, but I'm not! So lay off it! Don't get me wrong, I love my mother. I'm just not like her."

Intrigued by the movement of her pencil, Al leaned over to see what she was doing.

"Whatcha drawing?" he asked, trying to take a look.

Karmyn held up the napkin for him to see. Ed glanced up as well. They were alarmed to see that she was drawing Ed's eye from the manga. They could run into some problems with this person. Quickly, Al looked over at Ed to see his reaction.

"Y-you're a good drawer," Edward choked, attempting to contain his surprise and panic.

It didn't work so well.

-o-O-o-

_**September 1, 2011**_

That morning in Chem class, the brothers decided to act as if the scare of yesterday had never happened. When Mr. Mason called Karmyn's name twice before she answered, Ed snickered quietly as he had the day before. He and Al refused to let her know that something was wrong.

To the Elrics, the assignment for the class that day was so easy they could do it in their sleep. Instead, they watched as Mr. Mason walked up to Karmyn and gave her a different paper to do, even though she had already completed half of the assignment. As soon as the teacher had left, Ed grabbed the opportunity.

"So- you get special treatment, huh?"

Karmyn whirled around, glaring at him.

"Well sor-_ry_. It's just that _I_ grew up with this material, so this lab was _slightly_ unhelpful to me. _This_ one-" here she held the paper up in front of her- "Is still under my level, but not quite so much."

Edward snatched the paper out of her hands. "Let me see that!"

Holding the paper in front of him, he began to read it over. Alphonse leaned over and studied it as well.

"You find this easy?" Al asked the girl in front of them. "Most people would be scratching their heads."

"Not that it's hard, by any stretch of the truth. We've been doing stuff like this for a while now. We just didn't think anyone else our age could." Ed clarified, scrutinizing the paper. He and Al exchanged glances.

Karmyn snatched her paper back. Ed decided to just let it go.

The Elrics rushed through their lab, getting the okay from the teacher. Quietly, they asked if they could work with Karmyn. Mr. Mason quickly agreed.

They quickly vacated their seats and joined Karmyn at her table. When Ed sat down next to her, she jumped, causing him to laugh quietly.

"Wh- What are you doing here?" she asked, obviously flustered. Ed shrugged.

"We asked Mr. Mason if we could work with you. We already finished the other lab." He waved his hand toward where he and Al had been sitting before.

Al sat at the end of Karmyn's table, having pulled up a chair. "You were right," he told her, "That lab _was_ really easy. So, we've come to work with you. This one looks more interesting."

Karmyn sighed, resigned. "Okay. We can work together."

Ed and Al smiled at each other, knowing that they were already closer to getting home.

-o-

For the Elrics, the rest of Chem class was actually fun for what seemed like the first time in decades. (Well, maybe more like _the_ first time in decades.) As the three of them stood to leave, Karmyn accidentally knocked one of Ed's binders off the table, causing various papers to spill out. Quickly, she bent down and began to pick them up.

"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, frantically gathering papers.

Ed sighed. "It's okay," he told her, "It's partially my fault for leaving it on the edge of the table like that."

As he gathered the rest of his stuff, she finished gathering the papers and stuffed them back inside. He was left wondering for a little bit when she paused before handing the binder back to him.

As they left the Chem room, he once more heard the feminine voice speak up.

"You have a friend that cosplays?"

_Oh, shit. That's why she didn't hand the binder back to me right away! He saw the picture of Winry, _Edward realized suddenly. He quickly turned to look at her before exchanging a glance with Alphonse. _What should I say?_ Was the frantic unsaid question. Quickly, he racked his brains for an answer.

"Uhm, yeah," Ed responded. "We do."

"That's okay. I understand completely."

"You do?" Ed couldn't stop his voice from squeaking in his panic. _Did she know? Was their cover blown?_

"Yeah, I do," she told him. "I'm a manga fan too. I don't usually cosplay, but still."

"Oh, okay." Ed said, relieved. _So that's what she meant . . ._

"Can I meet her sometime?"

"That . . . might not be possible." It was Alphonse who replied that time, covering for Ed in his state of disarray.

"Why not?" Karmyn asked him, "I'm a fan of Fullmetal Alchemist too! I'm sure we would be great friends!"

_I'm sure you would be,_ Al thought sullenly, his face falling. _Unfortunately . . ._ He glanced over at his brother, his face reflected back at him, only twice as dejected. _He didn't need to be reminded of that, _he realized. He knew that it was even harder on Ed to think of his old life, especially Winry.

Luckily, Karmyn let the subject drop.

-o-

Once in the cafeteria, the three of them grabbed their lunches and sat at the table that they had claimed the day before. Katherine wasn't all that far behind them. The four ate in silence before Katherine spoke up.

"I assume you've negotiated a peace treaty," she said to Karmyn, who nearly choked on her food before nodding.

"Yeah. They're working with me in Chemistry, so if we were fighting, we'd most likely blow something up."

Ed and Al nodded their agreement.

"Although," Karmyn continued, "That could be kinda fun . . ."

Edward's face split into a wide grin. "Ah, yeah! That WOULD be fun!"

Karmyn and Ed hit high fives as Alphonse spoke a wary "Brother? Karmyn?"

The duo in question just looked at him, still smiling.

Katherine sighed and shook her head. "The two of you are too much alike for your own good. Reckless, smart, Chem freaks, short . . ."

Ed, as much as he was trying to keep his temper under control, exploded.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT YOU COULD SQUISH UNDER YOUR BOOT?" he snapped, albeit quietly, going into one of his old rants.

Alphonse panicked. Was there an easier way to give themselves away?

"Brother! Don't!" he practically hissed at his elder sibling.

"You're an FMA fan too, huh?"

Both of the Elrics froze. Nobody needed to look to confirm that it was Karmyn who had asked the question.

"Uhm, I guess you could say that," Ed began hesitantly. It would be the best cover for their actions, after all . . .

"Yeah," Al agreed, thinking along the same lines.

Karmyn changed the subject, much to the brothers' relief.

"So- Willard, Alfred, do you want to work together on that Chem project Mr. Mason assigned?"

Although it was only the second day of school, Mr. Mason hadn't been easy on his class. While the rest of the class worked their way slowly through the assignments they had been given, he had talked to his elite trio of students and given them a harder project pertaining to what the rest of the class was doing.

"Well, yeah," Alphonse said, recovering, "I thought that we already were."

"Oh," Karmyn responded. "Alright! I'll ask my mom if you two can come over tomorrow to work on it!" She paused. "Can I have your number so I can call you?"

"Oh, right! Al, do you have a marker?"

"Here, brother."

Al passed the black Crayola marker to Ed, who then proceeded to write 'CIRLE- xXx-XxX-xXXx' on the back of Karmyn's right hand. She glanced down at it before looking back up at the brothers and nodding.

"Thank you."

Katherine cleared her throat, catching the others' attentions. "If you're done with your little cryptic convo, I'm still here . . ." she pointed out to them.

Karmyn laughed. "Of course, Katherine. Of course."

The four of them continued to talk until the break was over.

-o-

Ed and Al relaxed once they got home. Until the next day, at least, they wouldn't have to worry about trying to conceal themselves. They took out their contacts, unconcerned about being caught in their own house. Quietly, they began their homework.

Their phone rang.

Startled, Ed picked it up and saw that it was Karmyn calling. He looked back over his shoulder at Al, who was looking at him with a question in his eyes.

"It's Karmyn," He told him, "I'm gonna get it."

"Okay, brother." Al returned to his book, looking answers up just for the fun of it.

Ed opened the phone and clicked the 'call' button.

"Hello?"

"E-Willard?" Ed was puzzled over her slight struggle for breath, not noticing the 'E-'. He decided not to comment.

"Karmyn!" He said, "Did your mom say that we could come over tomorrow?"

"Actually, Willard, can you and Alfred come over, like, right now?"

"Uhm, yeah, Karmyn. I think so. I'll ask Al . . ."

Covering the mouthpiece with his hand, he looked over at Al once again. "Al! Karmyn wants us to go over there now. Is that okay?"

Al stood up, closing his book. "Sure, but- why?"

"I don't know. She sounded a little breathless."

"Do you think that she knows?"

"Maybe. Do you want to risk it?"

"We probably should. If we say no it'll make us look even more suspicious, right?"

"Yeah, true." Ed turned back to the phone.

"A- alright, we'll be over in a bit."

"Okay great!" Was Karmyn's enthusiastic answer.

Al walked over to his brother. "We'd better put our contacts back in," he said, "If she doesn't already know, that'll certainly give us away!"

"Yeah," Ed grinned sheepishly, "We wouldn't want that happening!"

As Ed made his way to the bathroom, Al stood where he was. _Please don't make us move to Zimbabwe,_ he prayed to whatever god people prayed to nowadays.

In all of five minutes, Ed returned, and Al went to put his contacts in.

He got his first one in fine, but he dropped the second one about three times before he finally got it in without dropping it again. By the time he managed to get it in, though, it was dry and slightly uncomfortable. Blinking a few times made it better, but he could still feel it. As it was, he didn't have time to replace it.

He emerged from the bathroom to find his brother waiting.

"Let's go," he said. Ed nodded affirmatively.

-o-

Almost as soon as they rang the bell at Karmyn's house, the door opened and Karmyn let them inside.

"Okay, your shoes can go there, and coats can get hung on those hooks" she said as she gestured to the correct places and waited as the brothers complied.

"I have a space up in my room that we can work in, and if we get far enough, we have a lab in the basement." She continued, "My mom's not home yet, but she won't mind us using it." She said as she began leading them through the house.

Al was puzzled. "What about your dad?"

"Got fed up. Walked out a few years ago, the bastard." she told them curtly, not bothering to be polite.

"We know the feeling," Ed told her, thinking of his own father. He still resented him; even though they had gotten along much better in the past couple decades.

"Sorry," Al apologized. He hadn't meant to make her feel bad.

"Ah, right. Here we are. Please excuse the fact that I didn't have time to do any real cleaning." Karmyn opened the door and ushered them in.

The Elrics couldn't help but flinch as they entered the room. The pictures posted around the room were harsh reminders of a home they hadn't seen in ninety years.

Seeing Karmyn get her work out, they did the same. _Safe,_ was the general thought between the two. _For now._

With the three of them working together, they finished the paperwork in no time flat. The three of them were making their way down to the lab in the basement when Al found that his eye was bugging him again. He couldn't help but blink madly to try to make it feel better. He was rubbing it slightly when he heard Karmyn speak.

"Contact bothering you?"

_What!_

Alphonse startled, shocked. _So she did know, _he thought, _Zimbabwe, here we come._ Ed had whirled around when he heard Karmyn's calm statement, and was now looking at her as a deer would in the headlights of a car.

Karmyn, however, acted as if she hadn't seen their expressions. "There are empty cases and some extra cleaning solution in the upstairs bathroom if you need it," she continued, "I'm sure Mom wouldn't mind."

The Elric brothers stared, dumbfounded. This had never happened before. Where was the screaming? Where was the blubbering fangirl? Where was the panting/ hyperventilation/ fainting?

Karmyn looked between them, her gaze flicking from Edward to Alphonse and back again. She sighed.

"Take it or leave it, but I'm sure that we all have some things to explain." She turned to Ed. "You too. I'm sure that they get pesky sometimes. It's not even like you need them to see, unlike most people."

The two boys continued to stand silently, bracing themselves for the fangirl attack that had always been the result of anyone finding out their secret. They eyed her warily, waiting for the coming onslaught, not ready to trust her.

Karmyn shook her head, sighing once more. "If you boys want run away and move to Chile-"

_Or Zimbabwe,_ the Elrics thought silently.

"-or something, that's fine with me. It's not like I need help with the Chem project or anything, and I understand. However, just know that you don't need to hide here. Your secret's safe with me, Edward and Alphonse Elric."

To the brothers' surprise, she just turned heel and walked away. Seeing her back woke them from their stupor. They began to whisper among themselves.

"Do you think we should trust her?" Alphonse asked.

"I'm not sure," came the reply.

"She didn't flip out."

"Yeah, and she offered us help . . ."

"How about we try it?"

"It's either that or Zimbabwe. Let's take our chances."

"Okay!"

With that, Al ran up to Karmyn and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you," he told her, before running up the stairs ahead of her to find the bathroom.

"The solution is located on the top shelf and the containers are on the bottom! Look for one that doesn't have any Sharpie marks on it!" She yelled up to him.

"Okay!" Alphonse yelled back. He quickly found the bathroom and the items indicated to him. Setting them down on the counter, he looked into the false reflection staring back at him.

Ed, watching Al leave, walked up behind the girl and spoke softly. "Do you mind . . .?" He asked, gesturing in the direction that Al had run off to. When Karmyn nodded, he ran up the stairs after his brother.

-o-

Ed found Al in the bathroom, staring into the mirror. Confused, Ed asked him about it.

Al smiled. "I might not have to look like this anymore," he told his brother, "we have help now. We might be able to get back!"

Ed grabbed a case for his contacts and proceeded to begin taking them out. "Don't get ahead of yourself. Who knows how this'll actually work out?"

Al cleaned his second lens. "True, but it gives me hope."

"Hope is good."

The two boys slid the lens cases into their pockets before making their way back to Karmyn's room. Seeing that she wasn't there yet, they sat down on the bed. It wasn't long before Karmyn entered the room, closing the door behind her.

When she looked up, she took a sudden step backwards and hit the door. As she leaned against it to catch her breath, she smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry about that. I wasn't expecting it, that's all."

_Expecting it? Oh, she means our eyes,_ Ed deducted, remembering that his eyes were once more their original golden hue.

"Sorry about that," Alphonse apologized.

"That's okay," Karmyn reassured him. The brothers saw her eyes flicking between the two of them. "So it really is true," she muttered to herself, not wanting to be heard. "I wasn't wrong."

Edward heard anyways. "No, you weren't," he said, causing her to flush with embarrassment.

"And . . . that picture . . . from earlier today . . . that was actually Winry, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Edward said softly, looking melancholy.

Karmyn looked down at her feet. "I guess you probably want to know how I found out, right?"

"That would be helpful," Al told her.

Walking further into the room, Karmyn sat down on the floor in front of the bed, looking up at the two boys. She began telling them of the instances where she could tell that something was off about them.

"The big hints were, of course, the picture of Winry and your little 'short rant' in the cafeteria, Ed. Those convinced me of the fact. What practically told me your identities was this," she said, tapping the writing on her hand.

"Our phone number?" Al asked her, confused.

"Not the number, the name. When I saw it reflected in the mirror."

_Oops, _Ed thought.

"Oh, right." Alphonse turned to his brother. "Brother! I _told_ you not to use something so freaking obvious as our name spelled backwards! But did you listen? No!"

"If you're going to blame someone, blame Dad- not me. He's the one who entered our records," Ed shot back.

"I do have a few questions," she told the quarreling brothers, who fell silent. "How are you still sixteen/seventeen, and why has no one found out about this before?"

_I guess I have to tell her now, huh?_ Ed sighed. "We moved around a lot. We first lived in Germany, and when we realized what was happening we moved to France. We spent some time in Spain as well. We've spent the last few years of our lives in England, and then we moved here.

"As for why we're still young, we determined that for every year that passes in Amestris, one hundred years pass on this side of the Gate. Considering that we were born and raised in Amestris, our internal clocks are set to Amestrian time. It never changed when we came through the Gate to this side."

Karmyn nodded. The Elrics were happy that she didn't look at them as if they were crazy people. They began to trust her a little more.

"Another thing," she told them, "You do know that there are two animes and a manga series based after your lives, correct? How have you escaped the fangirls who put two and two together?"

"That's when we usually take the cue to leave," Alphonse explained. "If we don't then we usually run into problems . . . even though nobody believes them when they tell people that we're the Elric brothers."

"So . . . why haven't you left yet?"

Edward interrupted. "You seem different. When we've been discovered before, it's always been "_Oh my God, you're Edward Elric! It was all true! Wait until my friends hear of this! What was it like in Amestris?_ And yada, yada, yada- They just wouldn't shut up!

"You, on the other hand, simply offered help. You didn't freak out. You just simply stated outright that you knew. And then you walked away as if you didn't care! Al and I discussed it quietly for a second, and we think that you might be able to help us."

Ed and Al were tensed, waiting for her response. It was either sink or swim for them. With bated breaths, they anticipated her answer for them.

"I can certainly damn well try."

The brothers breathed deeply before looking at each other, and then back at Karmyn. They would do it. They would go back home. They didn't know how long it would take or how they would do it, but with Karmyn's help, they would get back.

-o-O-o-

_**Holy Fritos, Cheetos, Doritos!**__ (Is there another chip name that ends in -eetos/-itos?) _

_This chapter was 15 pages- exactly 5,914 words long! So there's the story from the Elrics' point of view, even if parts of it are the same. _

_I promise I'll have a chapter that moves the story forward soon, but I really wanted to do this!_

_Those of you who wanted a longer chapter, THIS WAS FOR YOU!_

_Please review, this took me from like 4:00 to 7:50 (with a break for dinner) in 90- degree weather!_

-o-

JUST IN- There has been a military order issued from Colonel Mustang himself:

**REVIEW THIS STORY!**

_Violators will be burnt to a crisp._


	8. September 2, 2011

_Sorry for not updating. . . I got distracted. (Big surprise there, I know!) ;1_

**PEOPLE: I CREATED A FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST FANSITE! **_**(http:/ projectfalchemy . webs . com)**_** IT'S EPIC AND I HOPE YOU TAKE THE TIME TO AT LEAST LOOK AT IT!**

_I watched the premier of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II as a double feature with Part I at the local drive in. We played Marco Polo with a bunch of random strangers and made friends with the people in the car next to us! It was fun . . . :D_

_And then I started reading Vampire Knight. So, I got distracted._

_It also didn't help that I've been watching Full Metal Panic. (Thank you RYNO, if you're reading this! You were right, I do love it!)_

_One thing to say about Full Metal Panic- Is it just me, or does Vic Mignogna enjoy voicing long-haired blond guys with bangs in animes that start with 'Full Metal?' I'm just saying . . . Look up Full Metal Panic Kurz Weber. You'll see what I'm talking about!_

_Am I a traitor if I actually wanted the Japanese to win the Women's World Cup?_

_Many thanks for those of you who have agreed to give your opinions on upcoming events on this story! There are some things that I'm not sure about, so yay!_

_(abitofslytherin, Yuki101, and blackrose414, I'm talking to you!)_

_EAK (Ed, Al & Karmyn) is getting there now, not much longer until they reach Amestris! _"But our story isn't over yet. We haven't even reached the good part!"_ to quote Barry the Chopper._

_There's a lot in store for this story!_

-o-O-o-

**September 2, 2011**

As she entered chemistry class, Karmyn smiled at the two boys who were already seated at their table. Catching their eyes, she made a mock yawning gesture, covering her mouth with her hand. The Elric brothers silently laughed back at her.

The newfound trio had stayed up late the night before, 'working on their chem project.' Karmyn's mother hadn't protested when she had come home and found 'Willard' and 'Alfred Cirle' working with her daughter on schoolwork.

What she didn't know was that they had never really gotten much done on the schoolwork.

Instead, the three of them had stayed up until eleven talking about Amestris, alchemy, and other FMA- related topics as fact instead of fiction. Sure, they _discussed_ chemistry, but it wasn't even close to the chemistry that was their schoolwork.

Karmyn sat down at her own table and faced forward as Mr. Mason started the lesson for that day. As he explained it, she ran through it in her head and had the answers before he had even finished introducing it. She was watching the man up front with half-opened eyes when she felt something hit her back.

Glancing behind her, she saw Ed grinning and Al looking slightly concerned. Puzzled by their expressions, she began to look around her person. She found the answer to her question when her eyes landed upon a balled-up piece of paper sitting next to one of her chair's legs.

Checking to see that Mr. Mason was still facing the whiteboard, she bent down and picked it up. Slowly, she began to straighten it out until the message was visible. Placing it so that it looked like she was examining the lab paper, she glanced down at it.

In Edward Elric's neat scrawl, she read:

_Meet us outside for lunch. We have some things we need to discuss. –E & A_

When she had taken in the message, she once again made sure that their teacher was facing the whiteboard before ripping off the _E & A_. If anyone saw it, she didn't want questions to arise over why 'Willard' used the letter 'E.' Not that anyone would ever see it.

Karmyn didn't want to take the risk of writing a note back. It was less obvious when one was tossing something forwards, but turning her body would attract more attention. Instead she made a circle with her thumb and forefinger, creating the universal 'OK' hand signal. Subtly, she laid it against her table where she knew the Elrics could see it.

When Mr. Mason came to the back of the room where his advanced students were, she quickly hid the note. As he handed them their 'advanced' assignments, Karmyn caught Ed's eye and he nodded almost unperceptively at her. She knew that he was acknowledging her reply to their note. She lifted a corner of her mouth in a smile as a reply.

Even as they were working together, none of them mentioned anything. Karmyn referred to them as 'Willard' and 'Alfred' as she had before she knew the truth. They couldn't risk anyone overhearing and finding them out. They worked quickly and efficiently, and once again they were finished before everyone else in the class.

When class was over, they didn't hesitate to leave.

At first, Karmyn was concerned about Katherine. For the past few days, she had sat with Karmyn, Ed and Al. Wouldn't she be hurt if the three of them took off and left her on her own?

It turned out that she didn't need to worry. Katherine had come up to her in the lunch line to tell her that she was eating lunch in the library in order to help one of her math classmates. It seemed a little _too _perfect, but she decided not to question it. After retrieving her lunch, she left the school building and sat on one of the benches outside. It wasn't long until Ed and Al joined her.

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Karmyn asked, "What do you want to talk about?"

"Oh, that!" Ed exclaimed softly, as if he had forgotten.

"Well, you see, Karmyn . . ." Al started, before his brother interrupted him.

"We think that you need to see our father."

Karmyn blinked a couple times. _Hohenheim?_

_No, a giant people-eating robot. Of course they're talking about Hohenheim, _her mental voice scolded her.

"Yeah, I agree," were the words that came out of her mouth. "He should probably know that I know, right?"

Al nodded. "We can't just tell him. You need to help us convince him that we don't need to move to Zimbabwe."

"Zimbabwe?" Karmyn was confused.

"Yes. That was where we were going to move to if we were found out."

"Oh."

"So anyways," Ed said, stretching, "You're coming with us after school."

"Perfectly fine with me," Karmyn agreed, dumping her trash in the nearest bin.

"Great! See you after school, Karmyn!"

"See you-" Karmyn stopped midsentence, confused. There wasn't anyone else around, but they were at school. Should she call him Willard? Or was Edward okay?

She stood there as she looked at Ed with 'confused' written all over her face. Her finger was resting near the corner of her bottom lip as she puzzled over his name.

Ed turned around when she hadn't finished what she was saying. Seeing her expression, he laughed.

"Don't worry about it!" He called back to his friend.

Karmyn flushed at having been caught. She smiled sheepishly and ran to catch up with the two brothers.

-o-O-o-

When the bell finally rang that day, Karmyn was filled with a mixture of relief, anticipation, and nervousness. She was unsure of what she would say when she met the Elrics' father. She really wanted him to approve of her, to allow her to continue helping Edward and Alphonse. She worried as she packed her school things in her bags.

She started when she sensed the presence of two beings hovering behind her at her locker. _When did they get here?_ She wondered. She finished putting her stuff away, slammed her locker door shut, and turned to find Ed and Al, as she had expected.

"How did you know where my locker was?" she asked them suspiciously. She didn't remember disclosing that information to them.

"Al here asked Katherine during American Studies," Edward responded cheerfully.

"Great," Karmyn moaned quietly. In a louder voice she said, "I'm ready when you are!"

The Elric brothers plus Karmyn walked out the front of the school together. Once outside, Karmyn followed the Elrics to their car. It was technically Ed's- Al was still quote on quote 'too young to drive.' _(A/N- It's a car, okay? I'm not good with cars, so don't ask me what type. I'll just say 'A car.')_

Edward took the driver's seat as Alphonse and Karmyn sat in the back. It was a nice car- Karmyn assumed that the Elrics had more money than most people. _That usually happens when one's been collecting it for ninety years,_ she thought.

It wasn't a long drive to where the Elrics lived. Actually, it was only a block away from Karmyn's own house. It explained why there hadn't been a car when they had come over the day before. They had walked.

Ed pulled into the driveway, parking in the garage. Suddenly, the nerves that Karmyn had forgotten about came back to her with an exponential and multiplied threefold.

Her heart started pounding wildly, and there was an odd feeling in her stomach. Her arms felt like they wanted to shake as she opened the door of the car and got out. Her head pounded, and Karmyn struggled not to hyperventilate, telling herself to take deep, even breaths. She felt the blood drain out of her face as she staggered against the side of the car. By the time the Elrics were out of the car as well, she was a nervous wreck.

Al was the first one to notice that something was off. Concerned, he leaned closer to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, much like as he had the night before when she confronted them about their identities.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently.

Karmyn nodded shakily. "Y- Yeah," she said, "I- I'm fine."

"No, you're not. Karmyn, what's wrong?"

"N- Nothing," she insisted. She couldn't tell them that she was scared half to death of meeting their father. They'd think that she was some weakling! She could handle this!

Sighing exasperatedly, Ed whirled around and stood in front of the duo, glaring at Karmyn.

"You're not 'fine.' I don't know what your idea of 'fine' is, but this is certainly not my idea of 'fine!'" he spat quietly, "Now tell us what's wrong. Are you ill?"

"N- No. I'm not ill."

"Then what is it?" Ed nearly yelled.

"Brother," Al cautioned.

Finally, Karmyn couldn't take it. "I- It's just that I'm re- really nervous about meeting your f- father. I- I don't k- know why. I- I just-" she stopped, not trusting her voice. Something welled up inside her, and tears threatened to make an appearance. She swallowed hard, trying to keep them at bay.

_I will _not _let them see me cry. I _will not_ let these battle hardened boys see me cry,_ she thought insistently. _These boys have been through things a hundred times worse. I won't cry over this!_

She was close to hyperventilating, gulping in breath after breath. By now, she was shaking like a leaf despite the calm hand that was still on her shoulder. She wasn't usually like this! She couldn't understand why her body had decided to betray her at that moment. The anger she felt towards herself only made matters worse. Leaning back against the car, she bit her tongue, trying to keep herself under control.

Ed buried his face in his hand. He couldn't understand what was wrong with the girl! She had been fine yesterday. She hadn't reacted at all when she discovered their true identities! Wait . . . maybe . . .

"Karmyn, look at me," he ordered her softly.

Her eyes slowly turned to meet his. The endless sapphire depths swam in unshed tears, the green landscapes glistening as if coated with morning dew. He forced her orbs to meet his own golden ones.

"It's the shock, isn't it," he told her, forcing the words past her hysteria.

Karmyn paused before wrenching her gaze away from his eyes and nodding. "I- when I first f- found out, I c- could handle it. Y- You were E- Edward E- Elric and A- Alphonse was A- Alphonse. B- But it didn't s- seem real. I- it f- felt like a d- dream. M- Meeting your f- father will m- make it real. I- it's all j- just catching up to m- me."

She gasped for breath, still attempting to calm down. She had known this fact all along, but she hadn't been able to tell herself about it. Slowly, she began to recover from her panic attack.

Al smiled gently at her. "Are you okay now?" he asked softly.

Karmyn smiled wryly. "No," she said, being honest, "But I'm feeling a lot better." She sighed. "I look horrible, don't I?"

"Eh, not really," Al said, moving a strand of wavy blonde hair that had fallen over her face. "You're fine."

"Thanks," she told him, although she didn't believe him.

"Do you think you can handle this now?" Edward asked her, seeing that the color had returned to her face.

A determined look spread across her facial features despite the fact that she still felt quite shaky. "Yes," she told him, "I can do this."

Ed grinned while Al removed his hand from her shoulder. "Well then, let's get this over with. To help us, or not to help us? To move to Zimbabwe or not to move to Zimbabwe? Those are the questions," he told them.

"Stupid time to be quoting Shakespeare," she muttered under her breath as they all started walking towards the house.

_Let's get this show on the road._

-o-O-o-

_Okay, to show a side to Karmyn that you probably didn't think about before. The shock of what happened just caught up to her at that moment, and it's understandable that she might have a bit of a breakdown._

_Next chapter: Will she be helping them, or will they be moving to Zimbabwe? The deciding conversation with Van Hohenheim Elric. Their fate . . . ? Not telling. Wait until the chapter comes out. (You probably already know, though.)_

_Again, I started __**http:/ projectfalchemy . webs . com**__ for all you FMA fans out there. I hope you look at it!_

_Sayonara!_

_Oh, P.S. I mean no offense to anyone who comes from Zimbabwe. I'm just saying._


	9. September 2, 2011 Cont

_Another update! Yay!_

_I've been told that all you really liked the last chapter because it showed Karmyn's weak side. I have really wanted to write a really emotional piece, and I figured that it would make sense if the shock of the fact that what she thought was fiction was actually fact caught up to her. I mean, she's a fangirl, so of course she'd be really shocked. She just held that back and then it crashed forward with a built up force. Anyways, we'll see how this works out._

_Thank you to all my reviewers. I have 30-someodd reviews for this story. That's more reviews than any other story I've written! I wish I had something to give you all . . ._

_Well, there was the fansite, but nobody's paid attention to that, so I guess that won't work . . ._

_I know, I know. "Get on with the story" is what you're saying. Okay, I get it! I'm doing so!_

-o-O-o-

**September 2, 2011**

"Dad, we're home!" Alphonse called out as he opened the front door. Karmyn was still recovering from her panic attack of a few minutes before. As much as she knew that Ed and Al understood, she hated herself for it. How could she let herself be so weak?

She nervously shifted as she followed the brothers into their house, remnants of her breakdown still lingering. Her heart was still pounding as they entered the Elrics' living room. She gratefully sat down on one of the couches and rested her elbows on her knees. Alphonse sat down next to her as Edward went to find Hohenheim.

"I'm okay now, Al. Thank you," she told him sincerely.

"That's alright. Brother and I really don't blame you. It was probably just a delayed reaction from the other night. We were somewhat expecting something like this to happen."

"Heh," was what Karmyn had to say in reply to that. So they knew, huh? That was sort of embarrassing.

Al smiled. "You really don't have to worry. I'm sure that Dad will listen to what we have to say."

"I hope so," she agreed, "I don't really want you to have to move to Zimbabwe. You two are kind of fun to be around."

"Even though Brother annoys the heck out of you?"

"Even though," Karmyn said. "It's also refreshing to have friends who understand chemistry as much as I do. Everyone else always looked at me weird when I quoted a chemistry fact in a regular conversation. I always felt slightly left out due to that."

"Brother and I started learning alchemy when we were really young. I guess we can relate, but in Amestris, it was a normal occurrence."

Karmyn smiled wryly. "I could quote the periodic table by the time I was seven. At age nine, I had memorized the symbols, families, periods and atomic weights."

Al looked impressed. "I was ten when I finally learned all those. You must have had a great memory."

"That was part of it, but it really helps to have a mother that lives and breathes chemistry."

"Our mother never really understood alchemy," Al admitted, casting his gaze to the floor in front of him. "She supported us, but we had to do all the work ourselves. That made it a bit more difficult. I bet it's great, having a mom that can help and teach you."

"It is," Karmyn said with a sigh, "But it's also the reason why my father left. He couldn't stand living in a household where everything was chemistry. He didn't even understand it."

"If you don't mind me asking, when did he leave?" Al asked softly.

"Two years ago," Karmyn's voice was bitter.

"Oh. I would say that I'm sorry, but you've probably had enough of that already. So I won't."

Karmyn laughed quietly. "Thanks. I think that helped more than everyone else's condolences combined."

"I'm glad I could help," Al told her.

They waited in silence for another minute or so before Edward came back.

"He's just getting off the phone. He'll be here in a minute," was his explanation for the long wait.

Nervousness began to bubble in Karmyn's stomach once again. This time, however, she hurried to clamp it down. She couldn't lose it now.

Her eyes flicked over to Al's as she smiled wryly. He smiled reassuringly back at her.

A tall silhouette appeared in the doorway.

"What's all this about?" A deep voice rang out, "You never do this."

"Father . . ." Ed started, before Karmyn quietly shut him out. He shot her a confused look.

Facing her fears, she stood up and walked over to where Hohenheim stood. Looking up into his false blue eyes, she introduced herself.

"Hello, I'm Karmyn Dallas. I'm working with your sons in our chemistry class. It's nice to meet you Mr.- Cirle," she said, mentally kicking herself for the involuntary pause before his name.

"It's nice to meet you too, Karmyn," he said, shaking her hand.

Karmyn was starting to relax when Ed's voice sounded from where she left them.

"Father, she knows."

Karmyn froze, the blood once again draining from her face.

"Excuse me?" Hohenheim asked his son.

"She _knows_, Father. She knows who we are."

Karmyn whirled around and made 'cease and desist' motions, shaking her head and dragging her finger across her throat. Not that it did any good at that point.

"Is this true?" Hohenheim looked down at her. Karmyn stared at her feet and nodded.

The oldest Elric scanned the room with his eyes, landing first on the determined face of his elder son before moving to the slightly concerned countenance of his youngest. Finally, it rested on the nervous and humble expression of the girl who knew. He sighed.

"You'd better sit down."

Once again, Karmyn nodded before retreating to her previous seat next to Al. Ed sat on the other side of Al, and Hohenheim sat in the armchair across from them. He looked at the assembled trio before beginning his interrogations.

"Did you tell her?" he asked his sons, who shook their heads.

"No, they didn't tell me. I figured it out on my own," Karmyn volunteered the information.

"When did you figure it out?"

"Just yesterday."

"Have you told anyone else?"

"Why would I? You obviously don't want anyone to know!"

Hohenheim sighed. "What happened, exactly?"

Karmyn and the boys relayed the story, concentrating on the moment that she had confronted them. They added in information about what had led her to believe it was them, and told him about how the three of them were the advanced group in their chemistry class.

Hohenheim was silent for a few minutes after their story. Finally, he spoke.

"Very well, then. Karmyn, I thank you for not telling anyone. Edward, Alphonse, we'll be moving in a couple weeks, so do what you need to do before then."

"Father!"

"Dad, no!"

Karmyn knew that she shouldn't be disappointed. She more or less expected that reaction coming into this mess. Who was she kidding? Of course she wouldn't be able to stay with and help her new friends. Of course they couldn't let anyone else know. Of course they'd have to disappear off the face of the planet again. Karmyn would just live her life as she had been doing for sixteen years already. She had known Ed and Al for three days, tops. It wouldn't make too much of an impact on her life.

Ed and Al were still protesting when she spoke again.

"Ed, Al, it's alright." The two brothers looked at her with dumbfounded expressions. She was just going to give up?

"I understand," she continued, "You can't risk anyone else finding out. If I accidentally let it slip, you're in big trouble. It's not like I can help you in any way. What can I do that you haven't been able to do in nearly a hundred years? This is the system that you've been using for ninety years, so you should continue to use it- it works."

Karmyn wanted to cry again, but she refused to. This was the way things were, and crying wouldn't help. She had learned that a long time ago. She swallowed hard and forced a smile.

"Trust me- it's better this way. I'll leave now. My house is only a block away, so don't worry. I'll see you in school on Monday, okay?"

"Karmyn-"

"Wait!"

Karmyn didn't wait. Standing up, she grabbed her backpack and walked out the front door. Not trusting herself to look back, she bolted.

She ran all the way home and up the stairs to her bedroom, where she dumped her backpack and lied down on her bed. She buried her face in her arms, not wanting to look at any of the FMA pictures that were hung on her walls. They seemed so fake after the events of the past few days.

She had found the real Fullmetal Alchemist out of the blue, and just as quickly, she lost him and everything connected.

Life wasn't fair.

-o-O-o-

_Okay, so it was a short chapter, but a pretty significant one, I think. I'll update again soon, I promise._

_Please review! Karmyn needs _something_ to cheer her up._

_Okay, Sayonara!_


	10. September 10, 2011

_Okay, so, the last chapter was a bit depressing . . . sorry. Anyhow, it's a new chapter, a new day, so let's make it a good one._

_I THANK YOU ALL for your reviews. I had 38 reviews the last time I checked, which is16 more than the story that's in second place. _

_So, there's a bit of a time jump in this chapter. If I take things day by day it'll get really slow in boring. So, we're a week ahead!_

-o-O-o-

_**September 4, 2011**_

_Dear Diary,_

_Even though I told Hohenheim that I wasn't going to be telling anyone about their secret, I ended up telling Mom. I mean, that's okay, right? It's not like she's going to be telling anyone. She had confronted me about why I had been so listless all weekend, so I told her. She didn't even believe me at first. But, seeing as I hardly ever lie to her (except for a few nights ago); I think I convinced her in the end. . ._

_**September 5, 2011**_

_Dear Diary,_

_Why must things be so awkward? I couldn't even look Ed or Al in the eyes. We hardly talked, and even Katherine asked if something had happened. When we couldn't answer, she jumped to conclusions and assumed that Ed and I had been going out, but broken up. Of course, I blushed and told her that it was nothing like that. Unlike my mother yesterday, Katherine didn't believe me._

_**September 9, 2011**_

_Dear Diary,_

_I'm sorry that I haven't written all week. I've just sort of forgotten to. All week, my mom's been coming home from work in the lab in a worse state than she normally does. What's been going on there? I remember my mom saying approximately a week ago that some guy had disappeared. Was it about that? Have they found him yet? My mom won't tell me anything- she only shoots me these weird looks. I really wish I knew what was going on!_

-o-

**September 10, 2011**

Karmyn closed her diary with a snap. She usually hated reading her diary entries, as she would often get extremely embarrassed over what was written. She didn't know why she had decided to all of a sudden. It was no different from all the times before. Setting the notebook down on her side-table, she took the time to examine her room, something that she hadn't done since the disastrous events that had taken place a week ago.

Her room was still plastered with FMA posters- she hadn't had the heart to take them down, even though the images of Edward and Alphonse still hurt. The anime pictures were still hung over her bed, staring down at her. The blue carpet was littered with chemistry books and empty test tubes. Karmyn knew that she should pick them up, but she always forgot.

Heaving a large sigh, she got off her bed and descended the stairs. Walking to the kitchen, her fists clenched as she passed the place where she had confronted the Elrics. Would that hallway always haunt her? She hoped not.

When she walked by the living room, she stopped. Looking back, she saw her mother seated on the couch, the television remote in her hand. That confused Karmyn, as the television itself wasn't turned on. She entered the room tentatively, softly calling out, "Mom?"

Marie Dallas jumped, looking towards the sound of the noise. She relaxed when she realized it was just Karmyn. "Oh, Karmyn. It's you," she said. Did Karmyn sense _relief_ in her voice?

"Mom, what's wrong? You're acting weird," she said, taking a seat on the same couch her mother sat on.

"It's nothing, sweetie."

Karmyn was seriously freaked. "Now I _know_ there's something wrong. You never call me anything like 'sweetie.'" Glancing around the room, her eyes landed on the DVD case sitting on the coffee table. When she picked it up, she was surprised to find that it was one of her Fullmetal Alchemist videos.

"Mom, seriously, you're freaking me out! What's with your attitude? What's with the 'sweetie'? What's with this?" she exclaimed, shaking the DVD case.

Karmyn's mom sighed. "How would you like to come to the lab with me today?" she asked her daughter. Karmyn was surprised. It had been years since she'd been to the lab with her mother.

"O-okay!" she agreed. "When?"

"Now," was Marie's answer.

Karmyn was still utterly confused about what was going on. However, she decided not to ask and instead put her jacket (which was red, but not floor-length) and boots (black Uggs) and waited for her mother at the door. As she was waiting, her phone buzzed.

It was a text from Katherine. _Want 2 come over 2 my house 2day?_

She couldn't have asked at a worse time. _Sry,_ she texted back, _Im going 2 the lab w/mom._

_Kk_, was the answer.

_That was pointless,_ Karmyn couldn't help but think. Two minutes later, her mom was ready.

The forty-five minute car ride passed in silence. Karmyn stared out the window, thinking of various things.

As much as she tried to avoid it, her thoughts kept turning back to the Elrics and FMA. What were they doing now? Had they forgotten about her already? How were the preparations for the move to Zimbabwe going?

_Not that I care,_ she told herself. It was none of her business, after all. She was determined that she wouldn't have anything more to do with the Elric brothers.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Marie Dallas parked the car in the employee's parking lot. She and Karmyn got out, and she locked it. Karmyn looked up at her mom, who once again had that odd expression on her face. She struggled to keep up as they walked briskly toward the entrance to the lab.

By the time they reached the doors, Karmyn had fallen far enough behind that she was stopped when she tried to enter. Luckily, her mom looked back and saw what had happened.

"This is my daughter, Mr. Carson, or do you not remember?" she told the man icily.

The man's eyes widened in recognition. "Oh! Karmyn! It's been so long! You were so much smaller the last time I saw you. I'm sorry, go ahead."

_Okay, that was creepy,_ Karmyn thought, _considering that I don't remember him . . ._

Karmyn followed her mom through the labyrinth of corridors that riddled the lab. This time, she made sure to match pace. Finally, she and her mom got on an elevator. Marie pressed the down arrow, and the two of them waited for the doors to open.

When they did, it was another five minutes of white-washed passageways and confounding turns before they reached their destination: A room full of white-coated chemists. Karmyn was getting sick of white.

The other chemists turned when she and her mother entered the room. Apparently, her mother was the leader of this team. There were a few faces that Karmyn was familiar with from her days at the lab years ago. If she remembered correctly, she was ten at that time.

She watched as her mother talked with the team of scientists. When she listened carefully, she could make out snippets of the conversation.

"It's finished, then?"

"Element 116 . . ."

". . . red . . ."

". . ."

Karmyn didn't understand the last one. When she looked up, she saw her mother beckoning her over.

"Karmyn," her mother said as soon as she was in earshot, "We are at the point in our research on Element 116 in which we combine the atoms to create something we can see. After this, we will be testing its reactions to other elements on the periodic table."

Karmyn knew this already, so she nodded. Her mom continued.

"Considering that you have been in on this project for near on your entire life, the team and I thought that you may want to see what Element 116 actually looks like. Therefore, I brought you here."

Ohh, so that's why her mom had invited her to the lab. "Okay," she said, "May I see it?"

"Yes, it's right over there. We don't think it's radioactive, but please don't touch it."

Karmyn walked over to where the team had pointed out. Looking through the glass it was located behind, she gasped.

The pebble-sized mass that the scientists had created was red, and seemed to hum with power. If she didn't know better . . . wait. She thought back through the events of the past week. She whirled back around and locked eyes with her mother, who had a knowing expression on her face. _So that's why . . . earlier . . ._

"Please excuse me," she said to the gathered group of whitecoats.

With that, she ran outside the room and switched on her cell phone. She hastily dialed the number that she had memorized, and tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for the recipient to answer.

-o-O-o-

"Karmyn?"

Karmyn nearly died from relief when she heard that voice. Her knees were weak and she slid down the wall to sit on the floor.

"Oh, thank God you picked up."

"Why the hell are you calling?"

"Edward," she said urgently, "Where are you right now?"

"We're waiting for our flight. . ."

"You were moving _today?_"

"Yes, we were able to get everything sorted out sooner than we expected . . ."

Karmyn could hear a shuffling noise in the background, as well as Al's voice asking Ed about who was calling.

"Listen, I need you and Al to come to the Boston Researcher's Lab _(A/N not an actual place, people!)_ RIGHT NOW."

"But our flight . . ."

"I don't care if you miss your effing flight!" Karmyn yelled into the mouthpiece, losing her temper.

"Father . . ."

"He can come too!"

"But . . ."

"Listen, _Edward_. Do the words 'Red' and 'Stone' mean anything to you?" she spat.

"Red . . . stone?"

Karmyn hung up before he could say anything more. She hoped that he could get his thick skull around what she had said.

If he truly wanted to return home, he would.

-o-O-o-

_Bwap bwap bwaaaaaap . . ._

_I hope you all like where this story is going so far. I know I like writing it! So. Opinions? Ideas? Plain old blabber that I won't be able to understand? I'll take anything!_

_**Pikakapi!**_


	11. September 10, 2011 Cont

**IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ!**

_Okay, my loyal minions (and new initiates), here's the situation:_

_I know I've been updating extremely frequently, but I'm looking ahead to when school starts, and I'm making an executive decision._

_I'm going to start updating on __**MONDAYS**__ and __**FRIDAYS**__._

_It's my first year of high school, so I really don't know what the workload is going to be like. Not to mention that I'm also going to be in the marching band. I may not have time to write a chapter or more a week. Therefore, I want to have an arsenal of chapters in my archives so that I can continue to update frequently._

_I'm going to keep writing at the pace I'm writing, but you'll only get two updates a week. However, one is on a Monday (so you at least have _something_ to look forward to!:D) and one is on a Friday, so you can read it after a long week. Are you okay with that?_

_(Not like it matters- I'll do it anyways.)_

_If I write enough, you _may_ get a chapter on __**WEDNESDAYS**__ as well. But don't count on it._

_Anyhow: On to this chapter!_

-o-O-o-

**September 10, 2011**

After turning off and pocketing her cell phone, Karmyn continued to sit against the too-white wall, her head pressed back against the cold paint. The chill from the wall kept her _there_. It prevented her from losing it completely.

Element 116 was the element that made up the Philosopher's Stone. She had heard that they wanted to call it Dallium, but a more appropriate name would be . . .

_Philosophium_. She named the new element in her head.

_It makes sense,_ Karmyn reasoned, _The Philosopher's Stone was created using human souls, but it's still made of atoms. And considering that there isn't an atom that exists that _isn't _an element . . . _

"Why hasn't anyone thought of this before?" she questioned the ceiling quietly. She didn't receive an answer.

_It was only a matter of time,_ she realized, returning to her train of thought. _It was only a matter of time before it was discovered. If I hadn't learned a week ago that Amestris was a real place, I would have passed it off as coincidence. Actually, I wouldn't even have done that!_

Any guilt Karmyn had for telling her mother about the Elrics instantly vanished. It was because she had done so that her mother had seen _what_ Element 116 was. It was _because_ she broke her word that she had the opportunity to help her friends.

However, she knew that her state of mind was a bad one to be in.

Moving away from her happiness at doing the wrong thing, she once again delved into the world of her confounding thoughts.

_So, Amestris is real, the Gate is real, the Elrics are real, the Philosopher's Stone is real, then that means that alchemy would also be real . . . _Karmyn paused. _The Philosopher's Stone enhances alchemical ability. If that's real, here on this side of the gate, does that mean that alchemy is also-_

_Crap. This could be bad._

Karmyn thought about all the destruction that had occurred on this side of the gate without alchemy. If people _could _use it . . .

She jumped to her feet, hitting her head on the wall in the process. She winced, but didn't allow it to slow her down any further as she raced back into the lab.

"Mom!" she called out breathlessly. All the chemists in the room turned to look at her. _Oops,_ she thought, _too loud._

"Mom," she called again, a little quieter. Spotting her mother in the back of the room, she ran over to her. "Mom, let me have the Philo- the stone for a few minutes! I need to test something! Please!"

When Marie didn't say anything, she started getting desperate. "Mom, we both know what it is! _Please,_ just let me have it for five minutes!"

Her mother looked her in the eyes, and Karmyn could see that she understood.

"Let my daughter look at it closely, please. She's been very interested in this project ever since she heard about it. Let her have the stone for five minutes."

Karmyn could tell that the other chemists were wary and unsure. Using this to her advantage, she darted forward and grabbed the small shiny red stone. Shooting a 'thank you' glance back at her mother, she was out the door before anyone could stop her.

She ran until she found a secluded hallway far enough away from the lab. Glancing around to make sure that there was no one else around, she set the stone down on the floor. After doing so, she realized that she felt colder than she had a moment before.

Curious, she picked the stone up again before setting it back down. Again, the same thing happened. Karmyn realized that the stone's power had been running though her, and when she had put it down, she lost that power. With this revelation, she was even more concerned than before.

Searching her jacket pockets, Karmyn was relieved to find that she still had the pencil that she had picked up off the floor a day or so before. It was a tiny thing, only about the size of her pinky finger, but it would do.

Wracking her brains for what she knew, she slowly drew a moderate-sized circle on the hallway floor. Slowly, she began to fill it with the symbols for a simple transmutation circle. When she finished, she stuck the pencil back in her pocket and picked up the Philosopher's Stone.

Preparing herself mentally, she began listing off the elements that made up the flooring beneath her. Slowly, she knelt and placed her hands on the pencil markings on the floor. Concentrating on the warmth that was flowing through her, she attempted to draw on that power to create a hand from the material beneath her.

Nothing happened.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Karmyn opened her eyes once more. The space inside of the circle looked just the same as it had before. Suddenly, the silent hallway was interrupted by a shrill sound. Startled, she looked around for the source of the noise before mentally hitting herself in the face. It was her cell phone.

Flipping it open, she checked the caller ID. She nearly sighed with relief when she saw that it was Edward. Pressing the button with the green phone, she held the device to her ear.

"Okay, Karmyn. I don't know _why_ you called us here, but I had a hell of a time convincing my father that we needed to come. This had better be worth it," was the greeting she was given.

"To tell you the truth," she replied, "I didn't think you'd come."

"We weren't going to."

"Then why-?"

"Does it really matter," she was interrupted, "Just come up here and tell us where we're supposed to go!"

"Right, I'll be there in ten."

Snapping her phone shut, she slid it back into her pocket. Grabbing the Stone, she ran back to the lab and handed it to her mother.

"I'm bringing the Cirles down here," she whispered to Marie, using the Elrics' alias, "Can you somehow get everyone out?"

She didn't wait for an answer. To onlookers, Karmyn was a blur as she once again raced out of the room.

-o-O-o-

Breathless, she arrived at visitors' lobby. Leaning against the wall to catch her breath, she brushed her blonde hair out of her face. When she looked up, she smiled weakly at the Elrics- Edward, Alphonse, and Hohenheim.

"I apologize for this," she told Ed and Al's father, "Especially after I said I wouldn't get involved. But-"

Once again, she paused to catch her breath.

"-There's something I think you need to see."

Hohenheim didn't say anything as Karmyn motioned for the trio to follow her. She waved to the receptionist and began to lead them into the labyrinth that was the Boston Researcher's Lab. She stopped cold when an alarm filled the air.

"What?"

She whirled around, looking back at the assembled group. Ed was at the rear, looking shamefaced as he pointed to the doorway they had just gone through.

"Metal detectors," he mumbled, "They hate me."

What? Why-

Oh. Right.

"I forgot," Karmyn admitted, "Sorry. I'll take care of this."

Five minutes later, they were away from the security and travelling down to the lab.

Edward was the first one to break the silence.

"Wow, this is worse than the sewers system under Central!" he exclaimed, his voice echoing in the empty hallways.

Karmyn had to agree to that. "At least it's cleaner," she called back to him.

"Yep!" It was Alphonse who had spoken.

No more words were exchanged as they made their way through the rest of the corridors. Finally, Karmyn found herself back at her mother's lab.

"One second," she told them before opening the door and sticking her head in. Seeing that only her mother remained, she opened the door all the way and ushered the Elrics inside.

Marie Dallas stood upon seeing the trio. Striding over to Hohenheim, she took his hand in a handshake. "Hello. I'm Marie Dallas, Karmyn's mother. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cirle."

Karmyn had told her mother about how she wasn't supposed to tell anyone about the Cirles being the Elrics. She was grateful that her mom hadn't given it away.

While the grown-ups were busy, Karmyn made a 'come here' beckoning motion with her hand to Ed and Al. Spotting the gesture, they complied.

"Follow me," she whispered as soon as they were within earshot.

Quietly, she led them over to where the Stone was sitting. As they got closer, she heard audible gasps from the boys behind her.

"Is that-?"

"It looks like the Philosopher's-"

"This is what my mom's team of chemists got when they combined millions upon millions of Element 116 atoms. This is, essentially, Element 116," Karmyn interrupted.

"The element you showed me up with on the first day of school," Edward grumbled, recognizing the name.

"Yes. And, as you can see, it looks shockingly familiar to a Philosopher's Stone."

Karmyn turned back to the two boys, their wide eyes giving away the fact that they were shocked. "Sit," she ordered them.

Apparently too surprised to protest, the two grabbed chairs and did as they were told. Karmyn picked up the Stone and held it in her hands, the power once again humming through her veins and giving her warmth.

"If this had been completed even two weeks ago, I would have completely disregarded this tiny thing as mere coincidence," she began, holding the Stone between her right index finger and thumb. "However, this is not two weeks ago, this is today."

"Well, duh," Edward said sarcastically.

"Brother! Shut up!"

"Thank you, Al. As I was saying, this is today. After learning who you two are, I know that this is by no means a coincidence." Karmyn took a breath before getting into her speech.

"We all know that the Philosopher's Stone is created using human souls. But, do we know what those souls turn into in order to give the Stone a physical form?

"The Stone is a tangible item. Therefore, it is created of millions, even billions of the microscopic particles we call atoms. Every atom _in this galaxy_ is one of the elements on the periodic table, or an element that we may not have discovered yet. This includes the Philosopher's Stone. The human souls are transmuted into atoms; therefore they are also transmuted into a new element. However, can I assume that nobody on your side of the gate has discovered what element they create?"

Ed looked perplexed, as if hard in thought. "Yes, I guess you could assume that. I've actually never heard of this theory of yours," he told her slowly.

"It makes sense, brother," Alphonse said eagerly, "Everything that Karmyn has said is true! The Philosopher's Stone is comprised of atoms, just like everything else in this world, and ours. All atoms are at least one of the elements, maybe more . . ."

"You're right," Ed agreed, his eyes watching the stone, "But why hasn't anyone thought of this before? Why haven't we?"

Karmyn began to speak again, turning the Stone over in her hands. "What I can infer, from all the information I've gathered throughout the manga and both anime series, is that all you alchemists have been so caught up on the fact that it's created using human souls, you haven't taken the time to consider it. Either you're after it for power, in which case you don't care, you steer clear of it, in which case you have no reason to care, or you're so repulsed by the idea of how it's made that it doesn't cross your mind."

Ed nodded his head slowly. "True," he said.

"So if we consider this revelation in which the Philosopher's Stone is created of a new element, it brings us to this: even if _some_one, _some_where, had thought of this, why hasn't the research been furthered? The fact is, you don't have the technology. The Philosopher's Stone cannot be created this way on your side of the gate due to the fact that in order to do so, you would need a high-power nuclear smasher machine thingy like the ones that my mother works with."

When Karmyn noticed that both Elrics were giving her odd looks, she turned defensive.

"What?" she asked, "I don't work with these things! I don't know all the names!"

"Could've fooled me," Ed muttered to Al under his breath.

Composing herself, she continued with her monologue. "Our world is a parallel universe to yours. Therefore, we do have the same basic laws of chemistry and physics. Meaning, any elements that you have, we do as well, even if they are harder to come by. Either way, Philosophium is a man-made element on both sides of the gate."

"Philosophium?" Edward asked.

"It's what I'm calling it for now, okay? Now shut up and let me talk!"

Heaving an irritated sigh, Karmyn _once again_ started to talk. "When I was thinking through this earlier, after I called you, I remembered that on your side of the Gate, the Philosopher's Stone enhances your alchemical abilities, seemingly bypassing the laws of Equivalent Exchange. This is due to the fact that the Gate takes the souls inside the Stone in payment, so in reality the laws still reply. Yada yada yada, blah blah blah, you already know this, so I'll move on."

"Wait, no- explain that bit again," Alphonse requested.

Karmyn sighed. "When one possesses the Philosopher's Stone, they believe that they are bypassing the laws of Equivalent Exchange. However, the Gate, or Truth, takes the souls that created the Stone as the fee for the action. The law still applies. Think of it as prepaid tuition for college. It may not seem as if you're paying all that much, but that's only because you paid part of the fee beforehand. That is why the Philosopher's Stone can be used up- the Gate takes away from it every time you use it. Understand?"

When Al nodded, she moved on. "In any case, the Stone enhances alchemical ability. This concerned me. I know that alchemy is supposedly impossible on this side of the Gate, but what if one possessed the Stone? Considering how much damage we have caused without alchemy, this greatly concerned me. Earlier, before you got here, I tested this. Using a pencil, I drew a transmutation circle on the floor a few hallways away. Using the Philosopher's Stone, I attempted a transmutation. Much to my relief, it didn't work."

"What if it isn't actually the Philosopher's Stone?" Ed interrupted once again.

"Brother!"

"It's okay, Al. I would have come to this conclusion as well, if it hadn't been for one thing," Karmyn said, "Edward, hold out your hand."

When Edward complied, albeit confused, Karmyn neatly dropped the Stone into his outstretched hand. Almost instantly, she felt the heat recede from her blood.

Edward's eyes widened and Karmyn knew that he must have been feeling the heat that she had just lost. She nodded at Al, who was looking on curiously.

"Go ahead. You can touch it too."

Al did so, and Karmyn could see that he was feeling the power as well. "Brother! This-"

"Yeah, Al. This feels exactly like the Stone," he looked up at her. "But why didn't it work?"

She smiled. "I knew you would ask that. I have a theory for that as well. Alchemy is impossible on this side of the Gate. I realize that events occurred on the Original Anime storyline. However, if you take a theory from Brotherhood and the manga, the Gate is what gives an alchemist his or her power. When you gave up your Gate in Brotherhood, you could no longer use alchemy. If I use this information, I can infer that people on this side of the Gate don't actually have Gates. Therefore, we cannot use alchemy. However," she paused, looking both of them in the eyes, "I know for a fact that you two _do_ have Gates. You just can't use alchemy on this side for some reason. However, if you possessed the Philosopher's Stone . . ."

"Then we might be able to! And using that, we could possibly get home!" Ed said, realization dawning upon him.

"Karmyn!" Alphonse exclaimed, "You're a genius!" In his excitement, he jumped off his stool and gave her a friendly hug. Karmyn smiled, hugging him in return. Edward had a wide grin on his face.

The three of them were interrupted in their celebration by a slow clapping noise. When they turned to face the sound, they found Hohenheim standing a few feet away, Marie Dallas hovering a couple yards behind him. _When did he get here?_ Karmyn wondered, slightly nervous. _How much did he hear?_

"It seems I've underestimated you," he told her, "I heard what you said, and I must admit that I'm pretty impressed. Even _I _hadn't thought of some of that, and I've lived for centuries longer than you have. I apologize for what I said before. After hearing you speak, I'd be hard-pressed to insist that you stay away."

Did that mean she could help them? The three friends glanced at each other, and then back at Hohenheim.

"Boys, we will not be moving to Zimbabwe any time soon. And now, I do believe that you have an experiment to try," he said, nodding at the Stone.

Nothing could stop the overwhelming tidal wave of glee from crashing down upon the girl named Karmyn Dallas.

-o-O-o-

_Epically long chapter- right here! 3,000 some-odd words, right there._

_Every single theory that Karmyn states is my own. I looked none of it up. None of it is someone else's. _

_Oh, and please don't tell me 'that would never happen,' 'They'd never get past security like that' blah blah blah. I know. I know that some things would never happen okay? Just roll with me._

_Please review! Reviews get me writing faster, and that might lead to me posting on Wednesdays as well. So please!_


	12. September 10, 2011 Cont II

_Today is Friday (Though really it's Thursday as I'm writing this), so you get an update!_

_I want to let you all know that I had a _lot_ of fun writing out my theories on the Gate. I have another one too, as you will find out later in this chapter!_

_So- short A/N. *Everybody rejoices* Now we can get to the meat and potatoes of this chapter. (Why is it always meat and potatoes? What if you're a vegetarian? What if you don't like potatoes? Questions for the soul, people. Questions for the soul . . .)_

-o-O-o-

**September 10, 2011**

"_Boys, we will not be moving to Zimbabwe any time soon. And now, I do believe that you have an experiment to try," he said, nodding at the Stone._

Edward stared down at the little red blob that lay in his cupped hands. "Can I even still do alchemy? It's been ninety years since I last used it . . ."

"Don't think of that, brother! If you can't do it, then I'll try."

"No," Ed told his younger sibling, "I'll do it. I've been waiting to do this for a long time." He glanced up at his father, who was still watching them. His gaze then traveled over to where Karmyn's mom stood. "Is it okay for us to be talking like this?" he asked Karmyn, gesturing to Marie.

Karmyn nodded. "I kind of had to tell her when she asked me why I had been moping in my room all last weekend," she said, a light hue of pink falling over her cheeks. "She knows everything. Sorry," she told them.

"I would have gotten mad," Hohenheim told her, "But it turns out that it was for the better."

Ed stood up, pushing his seat back to where it was before. Moving to the center of the room, he made as if he was going to clap his hands to start the transmutation.

"Wait," Karmyn said, stopping him.

"What is it _now_?"

Karmyn refused to let his attitude get to her. "Don't you think it would be better if you drew an array? I mean, I know that you don't usually need to, but considering the scenario, wouldn't it be better to be safe than sorry?"

"She may be right, brother," Alphonse prodded his older sibling.

Edward mulled over the proposed option for a few minutes. Finally, he let his hands drop to his sides. "Fine," he told them, "You win. Do you have anything to draw with?"

Fishing around in her pocket, Karmyn handed him the pencil she had used earlier. Looking on in amazement, she watched as he quickly drew a simple transmutation circle of professional quality. It was kind of embarrassing to see the difference between the alchemist's circle and the shaky amateur one she had drawn in the hallway.

_Oops,_ she remembered, _I never did get the chance to erase that. Oh, well._

It felt as if the room held its breath as Ed slapped his hands down onto the circle, the Stone held between the middle and ring fingers of his left hand.

As it had with Karmyn, nothing happened.

Once again, Edward attempted the transmutation. Once again, nothing happened.

"What? Why? It should be-" the alchemist was at a loss for words.

"Maybe it isn't actually the Philosopher's Stone," Alphonse suggested.

"No, it is," Karmyn said with her hand holding her chin, deep in thought. "I thought that something like this might happen."

"What do you mean, 'You thought something like this would happen?' Then why did you get our hopes up?" Edward exclaimed, exasperated.

"Because," Karmyn said ambiguously, much to the annoyance of the Elric brothers. Hohenheim just stood by and watched.

"Hey, mom! Can you get me a transparency and an Expo marker, please?" She called over to her mother, who had been hovering in the back of the room.

Marie Dallas was confused, but did as her daughter requested. As soon as the transparency and marker were in her hand, she placed them down on the table. Uncapping the marker, she drew a circle with a dot and a small curve inside, as well as a larger curved line.

"A winking smiley face?" Al asked, voicing the confused thoughts of everyone in the room.

"Precisely," she said. Satisfied with her work, she held the transparency between herself and Ed.

"Okay," she began, "Describe to me what the smiley face is doing," she told the skeptical Edward.

"Uhm, okay," he said, his face showing utter bewilderment. "It's winking its right eye-"

"Ah," Karmyn interrupted him before he could finish. "But I'm looking at the same picture, and it's winking its left eye."

"What has that got to do with anything?" Ed asked impatiently.

"Everything."

"Huh?"

"Listen," she told him, speaking as well to Al and Hohenheim, "This is the Gate." She pointed to the transparency she was holding. "This," she said, indicating the smiley face, "Is alchemy. Ed is on his side of the Gate, I'm on mine. What he sees is a smiley face winking its right eye. However, from my side, I see a smiley face winking its _left_ eye. For me, it's backwards."

"I think I'm starting to understand what you're saying," Alphonse told her, "But is there any way that you can make it clearer?"

Karmyn thought for a moment. "Well," she said, "You could think of the Gate, and alchemy, as a door."

"What the hell?" Ed remarked, "How did you get 'door' from 'smiley face?'"

Alphonse was quick to shut his brother up. "Shh, Ed, you need to listen to this!"

"Thanks, Al. Now let's say that someone has been standing in front of this door for all their life. All that they know is that in order to open the door, they need to pull. When they pull, the door opens."

"Why would someone stand in front of a door for all their life? That's a pointless endeavor! All they know is that when they pull, the door opens? What are they, stupid?"

"Edward, it's a hypothetical situation. An example. None of this ever happened. Now then. Suppose that somebody takes them, the person who knows for a fact that when they pull, the door opens, and puts them on the other side of that door. Suddenly, when they pull, nothing happens. Since that's all they know how to do, they will never be able to open the door no matter how hard they try. In order to open the door from their new position, they must learn to push the door instead. It's the same door, but they must use the opposite action to open it.

"Ed, Al, even Hohenheim. _You_ are in that person's position. For all your life, you've known that in order to access the 'door' that is alchemy, you need to pull. Your transmutation circles are created to pull, as that is how you open it. However, here, on the other side of that same 'door,' you need to push in order to get it open, but you're still pulling."

Karmyn glanced around at the various faces around the room. They ranged from neutral (Hohenheim) to curious (Alphonse) to slightly stunned (Edward- possibly at it being implied that he only knows how to pull a door). Walking over to the latter of the trio, she picked the pencil up off the floor and started to draw a new transmutation circle next to the old one.

"However," she continued, "This should be easy to fix. If I take the transmutation circle that you drew, Ed, and draw it again backwards, reversing it, then it should allow you to 'push' instead of 'pull.' There," she said, standing up. "Finished."

"How high is your IQ level?" Edward asked her, incredulous.

Karmyn shrugged. "I dunno. I never had it tested," she told him nonchalantly. Pocketing the pencil, she moved away from the circle she had just drawn. "Now then, Ed. Try transmuting using that new circle. Don't do anything too big. If it works, I have a feeling that the majority of that Stone will be needed in order to get you home."

Edward nodded, kneeling by the reverse transmutation circle. Taking a deep breath, he placed the Stone between his fingers once again and slapped his hands down onto the circle.

This time, there was a burst of electrical sparks and bright blue light.

If the transmutation scenes in the anime were fantastic, seeing it in real life was a hundred times that.

The dangerous beauty of the brilliant blue hues that had cast over the room was breathtaking, the bolts of electricity awe-inspiring. Karmyn's hair whipped out behind her as she felt the gust of wind from the transmutation, her blue and green eyes squinted into the light. After what seemed like a lifetime, but in reality was only a few seconds, the unnatural light faded and the room returned to the way it was.

The only difference being the small figurine that Edward held in his hands.

"Brother! That's-"

"Yeah, Al, remember?"

It was a replica of the figures they had made for their mother all those years ago. Karmyn smiled softly at the little object.

"Then this means-"

"Yes, Al. We can go home!"

"We can see everyone again! It'll be great to see Winry!" Al paused turning back to Karmyn. "But, wait- you said that you tried to transmute using the Stone earlier right? And it didn't work- but did you reverse the circle?" There was confusion in his eyes. _There's a lot of that going around_, she noticed.

"I did not. Honestly, I only just thought of that theory as I was talking earlier. However, the theory of people on this side not having Gates still holds- and therefore renders the theory of the Reverse Transmutation Circle ineffective," she concluded. Al nodded at her, happy with her answer.

As Karmyn listened to the sounds of general celebration, she glanced around the room. When she reached the door, she could've sworn she had seen a shadow move away. Had someone been watching them? And if so, for how long?

Her queries were quickly forgotten as the Elric brothers dragged her into their joyous celebration.

-o-O-o-

_And so things are starting to look up for the Elrics! But what was that creepy shadow hanging around outside the door? _

_I think Karmyn's slightly smarter than poor Ed and Al realized . . . _

_Ah! This is my tenth actual chapter, isn't it? That means that we're due for another Elric Intervention! You're in for a long next chapter, all from the perspectives of the Elric brothers!_

_YAY!_

**Edward just heard that he can use ****REVIEWS**** to pay for part of the cost of his prosthetic limbs!**

_**Let's see if we can help him, shall we?**_


	13. Elric Intervention II

_Haaah. New chapter._

_This is another Elric Intervention, so it's a long one as well!_

_I have to thank all of you who have read this story and especially those of you who reviewed. I've hit the 50 mark and it just keeps going. Thank you!_

_I just can't seem to stop my brain from thinking. I'm already thinking about the _sequel_ for God's sake! I'm not even 25% of the way through this one! Geesh . . . I think my FFADD is kicking in . . . I really want to write that one, but I can't because I don't even knows what happens in this one! Gaaak!_

_A fact that you may not know- if you leave an epical review (or even just a review) then I'm likely to click on your name and look through the stories you've written. I might even read some of them, possibly review. _REVIEWS TO KARMAHOPE ARE SELF-BENEFICIAL!

_So, I'd better get a move on with this chapter . . . enjoy!_

-o-O-o-

_**September 2, 2011**_

The Elric brothers were sitting at their table in chemistry class, waiting for a certain blonde-haired girl to show up. Alphonse yawned, tired after what had transpired the night before. Ed looked at his brother and smiled, having been thinking somewhere along the same lines.

The two boys looked up when the door to the classroom opened once more. When they saw that it was Karmyn, they returned the smile that was already on her face. When she held her hand over her mouth as if she were yawning, Ed and Al couldn't help but laugh. Apparently, the three of them were all on the same wavelength that morning.

After they had left the night before, the Elrics had discussed their options on the way back to their house. After Karmyn's confrontation, they had been conflicted as to what they should do about her. It was true that there was something different about the girl, but could they really trust her? They had stopped trusting people a long time ago, especially girls.

It was only when they had gotten back to their house that they had made their decision.

Remembering their decision, Ed started to scribble a note on a small piece of paper. Puzzled, Al looked over.

"What are you doing, brother?" he asked softly, not wanting anyone else to hear.

Edward showed him the note that read_ Meet us outside for lunch. We have some things we need to discuss. –E & A_, jerking his head in the direction of Karmyn.

"Are you sure?" Al disapproved of his brother's plan. Surely there was a better way . . . or not.

Ed had thrown the paper, now a scrunched-up ball, at Karmyn's back. It hit before dropping to the floor.

Ed watched as she picked it up and opened it quietly. Patiently, he waited as she read it, and then ripped it.

_Wait- what? Why'd she rip it?_ He asked silently, questioning her actions. Had he done something wrong? He looked to Al quickly, wondering if he knew.

"You signed it _E_ & A, not _W_ & A," he explained, having had a much clearer view. "She ripped that part off."

The author of the note nearly facepalmed. How could he have been so careless? What if someone else saw it- oh. That was _why_ she ripped it off. Nobody else _would _see it. He was sort of surprised that she had gone that far to protect their identities.

He waited for a reply, but none came. Was she not going to come? Al had already asked a classmate that he knew was in Katherine's math class to distract her, so Karmyn didn't have to worry about hurting her feelings by meeting them at lunch . . .

It was then that he noticed that her hand was lying unnaturally on the table. Her thumb and index fingers were pressed together, with the rest of her fingers outstretched. Ed recognized the signal for 'okay,' and he had to hand it to the girl- she was pretty intelligent. Turning her body to throw a note back or to talk to them would be too noticeable, and could've gotten them in trouble.

He watched as Karmyn hid the note as Mr. Mason walked over to them to give them their work for the class period. When he met her eyes, he gave her a tiny nod, acknowledging her reply. She smiled in return.

Both the Elric brothers were quite happy when she continued to refer to them as Willard and Alfred. It seemed as though they wouldn't have to remind her to keep her mouth shut. Working together, they finished their assignment before the rest of the class finished theirs.

They left as soon as they were allowed to.

Ed and Al walked slowly through the halls, allowing Karmyn to get ahead of them.

"You think she'll come?" Al asked his brother uncertainly. Ed nodded.

"She said she would," he reassured him.

"When? I didn't hear anything!"

In response, Ed created the same symbol that Karmyn had made during class and showed it to Al. "She did this and laid her hand on the table where I could see it."

"Oh! Okay!" Alphonse exclaimed, _I didn't even think of that!_

The two of them obtained their lunches and wandered out of the building to find Karmyn. They ate for a few minutes in silence before she asked,

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Oh, that!" Ed had been so concentrated on eating that he had forgotten.

"Well, you see, Karmyn . . ." Al started, before his brother interrupted him.

"We think that you need to see our father."

Karmyn blinked a couple times. "Yeah, I agree," she said, surprising the Elrics, "He should probably know that I know, right?"

Al nodded. "We can't just tell him. You need to help us convince him that we don't need to move to Zimbabwe."

"Zimbabwe?" Karmyn was confused.

"Yes. That was where we were going to move to if we were found out."

"Oh."

"So anyways," Ed said, stretching, "You're coming with us after school," he told her, leaving no room for questions.

"Perfectly fine with me," Karmyn agreed, dumping her trash in the nearest bin.

"Great! See you after school, Karmyn!" Edward called back to her, walking off with Alphonse.

"See you-"

Ed stopped walking at her unfinished sentence. When he turned around, he saw her confused expression and laughed. _She looks like Gluttony with her finger at her mouth like that,_ he thought before correcting himself, _a much smaller, much more intelligent Gluttony of the opposite gender._

"Don't worry about it!" he yelled to her, knowing that the cause of her confusion was his name. It made him smile inside as she ran to catch up.

-o-

After retrieving their things from their lockers at the end of the day, the two Elrics decided to wait for Karmyn at her locker.

Walking down the hall that they knew she was located in, they stopped when they found her.

She slammed her locker shut and turned around.

"How did you know where my locker was?" she asked them suspiciously.

"Al here asked Katherine during American Studies," Edward responded cheerfully.

"Great," she moaned quietly. In a louder voice she said, "I'm ready when you are!"

The brothers and Karmyn walked out the front of the school together. Once outside, Karmyn followed the Elrics to their car. It was technically Ed's- Al was still quote on quote 'too young to drive.'

_Too young to drive, my foot,_ Alphonse thought darkly, _I'm almost a century over the legal driving age, and they tell me that I'm too young to drive!_

Edward took the driver's seat as Al and Karmyn sat in the back. Once they were ready, they left.

It wasn't a long drive to get to their house, and they knew that Karmyn was surprised at how close they lived to her. Once they arrived, Ed pulled into the driveway, parking in the garage.

Ed and Al got out on one side of the car while Karmyn got out the other. As Alphonse stood up, he heard a light _thud_ from the other side, like someone had fallen against the car. Looking over, he was surprised to see that Karmyn was pale and breathing harshly.

Walking over, he leaned closer to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, much like he had the night before when she confronted them about their identities.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently, concerned.

Karmyn nodded shakily. "Y- Yeah," she said, "I- I'm fine."

"No, you're not," Al insisted, "Karmyn, what's wrong?"

"N- Nothing!"

Edward noticed the commotion taking place on the other side of the vehicle. Sighing exasperatedly, he whirled around and stood in front of the duo, glaring at Karmyn.

"You're not 'fine.' I don't know what your idea of 'fine' is, but this is certainly not my idea of 'fine!'" he spat quietly, "Now tell us what's wrong. Are you ill?"

"N- No. I'm not ill."

"Then what is it?" Ed nearly yelled.

"Brother," Al cautioned. _Ed really doesn't know how to treat sick people,_ he thought, _not that Karmyn's exactly sick, but it's the same concept._

"I- It's just that I'm re- really nervous about meeting your f- father. I- I don't k- know why. I- I just-" Karmyn stammered.

The Elrics could see that she wanted to cry. Her blue eyes swam in liquid, turning them into a pair of deep oceans that one could drown in. The green that had always made her eyes look like they contained small horizons instead resembled tiny islands placed within the deep blue sea.

Karmyn was close to hyperventilating, gulping in breath after breath. Alphonse could feel her shaking like a leaf underneath the hand that he still had on her shoulder. She leaned back against the car, trying to keep herself under control.

Ed buried his face in his hand. _Why is she like this? _He wondered, _she was fine yesterday when she learned the truth. _He thought for a little bit more. _Wait, maybe she's like this _because_ she was so calm yesterday . . ._

"Karmyn, look at me," he ordered her softly.

Her eyes slowly turned to meet his. The endless sapphire depths swam in unshed tears, the green landscapes glistening as if coated with morning dew. He forced her orbs to meet his own golden ones.

"It's the shock, isn't it," he told her, forcing the words past her hysteria.

Karmyn paused before wrenching her gaze away from his eyes and nodding. "I- when I first f- found out, I c- could handle it. Y- You were E- Edward E- Elric and A- Alphonse was A- Alphonse. B- But it didn't s- seem real. I- it f- felt like a d- dream. M- Meeting your f- father will m- make it real. I- it's all j- just catching up to m- me."

The two brothers watched as she recovered from her panic attack.

"Are you okay now?" Al smiled gently at her, his voice quiet.

She smiled wryly. "No, but I'm feeling a lot better." She sighed. "I look horrible, don't I?"

Alphonse said the one thing that he knew would comfort her. "Eh, not really," he told her, moving a strand of wavy blonde hair that had fallen over her face. "You're fine."

"Thanks," she told him.

"Do you think you can handle this now?" Edward asked her, seeing that the color had returned to her face.

A determined look spread across her facial features. "Yes," she told him, "I can do this."

Ed grinned while Al removed his hand from her shoulder. "Well then, let's get this over with. To help us, or not to help us? To move to Zimbabwe or not to move to Zimbabwe? Those are the questions," he told them.

"Stupid time to be quoting Shakespeare," she muttered under her breath as they all started walking towards the house.

-o-O-o-

"Dad, we're home!" Alphonse called out as he opened the front door. Not waiting for a reply, the two brothers entered the house, Karmyn following.

When they got to the living room, they watched as Karmyn sat down on one of their couches. Al decided to sit with her as Ed went to find Hohenheim.

"I'm okay now, Al. Thank you," she told him sincerely.

"That's alright. Brother and I really don't blame you. It was probably just a delayed reaction from the other night. We were somewhat expecting something like this to happen," he explained, attempting to reassure her.

"Heh," was her reply.

Al smiled. "You really don't have to worry. I'm sure that Dad will listen to what we have to say," _I hope,_ was his unvoiced opinion.

"I hope so," she agreed, "I really don't want you to have to move to Zimbabwe. You two are kind of fun to be around."

Alphonse was taken by surprise at that statement. "Even though Brother annoys the heck out of you?" he asked her.

"Even though," Karmyn said. "It's also refreshing to have friends who understand chemistry as much as I do. Everyone else always looked at me weird when I quoted a chemistry fact in a regular conversation. I always felt slightly left out due to that."

_Really? Her life must've been tough. _"Brother and I started learning alchemy when we were really young. I guess we can relate, but in Amestris, it was a normal occurrence."

Karmyn smiled wryly. "I could quote the periodic table by the time I was seven. At age nine, I had memorized the symbols, families, periods and atomic weights."

_Wow, that early?_ Al was impressed. She had learned it even earlier than he had! "I was ten when I finally learned all those. You must have had a great memory."

"That was part of it, but it really helps to have a mother that lives and breathes chemistry."

"Our mother never really understood alchemy," he admitted, casting his gaze to the floor in front of him. "She supported us, but we had to do all the work ourselves. That made it a bit more difficult. I bet it's great, having a mom that can help and teach you."

"It is," Karmyn said with a sigh, "But it's also the reason why my father left. He couldn't stand living in a household where everything was chemistry. He didn't even understand it."

"If you don't mind me asking, when did he leave?" Al asked softly.

"Two years ago," Karmyn's voice was bitter.

"Oh. I would say that I'm sorry, but you've probably had enough of that already. So I won't."

Karmyn laughed quietly. "Thanks. I think that helped more than everyone else's condolences combined."

"I'm glad I could help," Al told her, meaning every word.

_Meanwhile, with Ed:_

"Father?" Ed called out, peering into the kitchen. When he didn't find him, he continued searching through the house. He had been through several rooms when he finally heard his father's voice.

_Oh, he's on the phone,_ Edward realized, entering the den.

Sensing someone behind him, Hohenheim turned. Seeing that it was his son, he smiled. _Hello,_ he mouthed, before turning back to his phone call.

Grabbing a piece of paper, Ed quickly wrote a note asking his father to come to the living room when he was done with his call. Placing it where Hohenheim could see it, he retreated from the room and made his way back to the others.

Once he got back, he found that Al and Karmyn were sitting silently on the couch together. He laughed to himself quietly at the sight. Composing himself, he entered the room.

"He's just getting off the phone. He'll be here in a minute," was his explanation for the long wait.

Ed continued to watch the two on the couch as Karmyn's eyes flicked over to Al's. She smiled wryly and he smiled back at her. Ed wanted to laugh again, but kept it inside.

He didn't notice that his father had entered the room until he spoke. "What's all this about? You never do this."

"Father . . ." Ed started, but Karmyn shut him up. What was that about?

He watched as she stood up and walked over to Hohenheim to introduce herself.

"Hello, I'm Karmyn Dallas. I'm working with your sons in our chemistry class. It's nice to meet you Mr.- Cirle."

"It's nice to meet you too, Karmyn," he said, shaking her hand.

Both Elrics noticed the pause that had come before his name. Edward decided that it was better just to get it over with instead of dancing around the truth.

"Father, she knows," he said, putting it out there.

"Excuse me?" Hohenheim asked his son.

"She _knows_, Father. She knows who we are."

Karmyn whirled around and made 'cease and desist' motions, shaking her head and dragging her finger across her throat. Ed felt somewhat guilty for blurting it out, but there was nothing that he could do about that now.

"Is this true?" Hohenheim asked the girl. Karmyn stared down at her feet and nodded.

The oldest Elric scanned the room with his eyes, landing first on the determined face of his elder son before moving to the slightly concerned countenance of his youngest. Finally, it rested on the nervous and humble expression of the girl who knew. He sighed.

"You'd better sit down."

Once again, Karmyn nodded before retreating to her previous seat next to Al. Ed sat on the other side of Al, and Hohenheim sat in the armchair across from them. He looked at the assembled trio before beginning his interrogations.

"Did you tell her?" he asked his sons, who shook their heads.

"No, they didn't tell me. I figured it out on my own," Karmyn volunteered the information.

"When did you figure it out?"

"Just yesterday."

"Have you told anyone else?"

"Why would I? You obviously don't want anyone to know!"

Hohenheim sighed. "What happened, exactly?"

Karmyn and the boys relayed the story, concentrating on the moment that she had confronted them. They added in information about what had led her to believe it was them, and told him about how the three of them were the advanced group in their chemistry class.

Hohenheim was silent for a few minutes after their story. Finally, he spoke.

"Very well, then. Karmyn, I thank you for not telling anyone. Edward, Alphonse, we'll be moving in a couple weeks, so do what you need to do before then."

Both Ed and Al went through the same thought process. _What?_

"Father!"

"Dad, no!"

The two were still protesting when a soft voice cut them both off.

"Ed, Al, it's alright."

_Again, what?_ Both brothers looked at her with dumbfounded expressions. She was just going to give up? Why?

"I understand," she continued, "You can't risk anyone else finding out. If I accidentally let it slip, you're in big trouble. It's not like I can help you in any way. What can I do that you haven't been able to do in nearly a hundred years? This is the system that you've been using for ninety years, so you should continue to use it- it works."

She might have said that it was alright, but both of them could tell that it wasn't. She looked like she was close to tears, but she swallowed hard and gave them a weary smile.

"Trust me- it's better this way. I'll leave now. My house is only a block away, so don't worry. I'll see you in school on Monday, okay?"

"Karmyn-" Ed couldn't believe it. He thought that she had been different, stronger. Why was she running away?

"Wait!" Alphonse called after her. She couldn't go!

But she did. She stood up, grabbed her backpack, and walked calmly out the front door.

Ed leaned back and covered his face with his hands. "Why- why did you _do_ that?" he asked his father.

"You know as well as I do that we can't let anyone know who we actually are. You know all the repercussions that it could cause."

"But she was different!" Al exclaimed, "We told you! She's not like one of those fangirls! She confronted us calmly and asked if we needed help! She said that she'd help us get home! Did you know that when we first arrived, the shock finally got to her and she had a breakdown? Yet she recovered, swallowed her fear, talked with you, and yet you still tell her to go away? Do we really have to move to Zimbabwe?"

Finishing his rant, he caught his breath. Both Ed and Hohenheim were watching him. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Edward spoke up. "I'm with Al on this one. Her knowledge of chemistry is on par with ours, possibly greater. I honestly think that she could help us get home. I'm willing to try."

"You do realize," Hohenheim said, "That if we don't find it soon, she'll quickly get much older than you are, and she'll die before you two even get a year older, right?"

"Yes," Ed replied, "We've already thought of this."

"And you're still willing to gamble on this person?"

Al nodded.

Hohenheim sighed. "Fine. However, there is a condition." He looked severely at both his boys. "She has to make an effort to continue helping you two, despite what I said. You can't tell her. If she doesn't come around by the time we leave for Zimbabwe, you forget about her. Understood?"

"Yes, Father," Ed replied.

"Okay, Dad," was Al's answer.

-o-O-o-

_**September 10, 2011**_

For the past week, school had been awkward. Karmyn hadn't looked either of the Elrics in the eyes, and they had hardly talked. This had caused some . . . misunderstandings.

Alphonse could hardly keep from laughing when Katherine had assumed that Karmyn and his brother had been going out and broke up. Ed had turned as red as a tomato and Karmyn had attacked her friend mercilessly with green peas. Still, it hadn't been enough to fix the rift between them.

Both Ed and Al had been anxiously waiting for Karmyn to come around to them again. However, the week passed and there was no sign of her doing so. When Hohenheim had announced that their flight would be Saturday, the two fell into a state of desperation. Still, nothing had happened. There was more than one occasion in which both Elrics had wanted to tell her what their father had said, but they had kept their mouths shut.

So here they were, standing at the airport, waiting for their flight. There was half an hour left before they would be boarding. Alphonse was in a state of near-depression and Edward tapped his foot nervously. They had almost given up on Karmyn coming back to them.

Fifteen minutes.

Hohenheim sat patiently, pretending to ignore the actions of both his sons, even though he noticed everything.

Ten minutes.

_Bzzzzzzzzzt! Bzzzzzzzzzt!_

Edward jumped nearly three feet in the air, his heart racing from the shock he had just received. His phone was vibrating. Not even daring to hope, he pulled it out of his pocked and checked the number. His eyes wide, he flipped it open and pressed it to his ear.

"Karmyn?" he asked incredulously.

Nearby, he saw Alphonse jolt out of his lethargic state and look eagerly over at him. Ed nodded. They were both excited that she had called. However, Ed acted as if they hadn't been.

"Oh, thank God you picked up," her voice came over the line.

"Why the hell are you calling?" he asked her, keeping his real emotions hidden.

"Edward," her voice was urgent. "Where are you right now?"

"We're waiting for our flight . . ."

"You were moving _today?_"

Oh, right. They had never told her.

"Yes, we were able to get everything sorted out sooner than we expected . . ."

Alphonse shifted closer so that he could hear what Karmyn was saying. Ed moved the phone away from his ear a bit so that it would be easier.

"Listen, I need you and Al to come to the Boston Researcher's Lab RIGHT NOW."

Both Ed and Al were thrilled.

"But our flight . . ." Ed protested.

"I don't care if you miss your effing flight!" Karmyn yelled into the mouthpiece, losing her temper.

Alphonse held back a laugh as he heard her outbreak, looking at Ed.

"Father . . ."

"He can come too!"

"But . . ."

"Listen, _Edward_. Do the words 'Red' and 'Stone' mean anything to you?" she spat.

"Red . . . stone?"

Both Ed and Al looked at each other with wide eyes. There was only one 'red stone' that they were really familiar with . . . and that was . . .

Neither of them noticed when Karmyn hung up. They both looked over at Hohenheim, who stood up.

"Well then," he said, "I guess we'd better get moving."

The Elric brothers jumped up as well.

-o-O-o-

Forty-five minutes later, Edward, Alphonse and Hohenheim were standing in the visitors' lobby at the Boston Researcher's Lab. When Karmyn wasn't there, Ed decided to call her back. When she picked up, he didn't bother with a greeting.

Okay, Karmyn. I don't know _why_ you called us here, but I had a hell of a time convincing my father that we needed to come. This had better be worth it," he said, looking back at his father and Al, who were smiling at the falsehood he had just told.

"To tell you the truth," she replied, "I didn't think you'd come."

"We weren't going to."

"Then why-?"

"Does it really matter? "Just come up here and tell us where we're supposed to go!" Ed told her.

"Right, I'll be there in ten," she said before hanging up.

Ed and Al slapped a high five at Ed's performance. They then waited somewhat impatiently for the ten minutes it took Karmyn to arrive.

Finally she showed up, out of breath and with hair in her face, as if she had run all the way there (which she had). Leaning against the wall to get her breath back, she brushed her hair out of her face and looked up, smiling weakly at the Elrics.

"I apologize for this," she told Ed and Al's father, "Especially after I said I wouldn't get involved. But-"

Once again, she paused to catch her breath.

"-There's something I think you need to see."

Hohenheim didn't say anything as Karmyn motioned for the trio to follow her. She waved to the receptionist and began to lead them into the labyrinth that was the Boston Researcher's Lab. As Ed passed through the doorway, a loud alarm filled the air.

_Freaking metal detector. Go to Hell,_ he thought with a passion.

Karmyn whirled around, looking back at the assembled group. Ed pointed at the door.

"Metal detectors," he grumbled, "They hate me."

Luckily, Karmyn understood what he was saying. "I forgot," she admitted, "Sorry, I'll take care of this."

Five minutes later, they were away from the security and travelling down to the lab.

Edward was the first one to break the silence.

"Wow, this is worse than the sewers system under Central!" he exclaimed, his voice echoing in the empty hallways.

"At least it's cleaner," she called back to him.

"Yep!" Alphonse chimed in.

No more words were exchanged as they made their way through the rest of the corridors. Finally, Karmyn found herself back at her mother's lab.

"One second," she said, sticking her head in the door. She then opened the door all the way and ushered the Elrics inside.

Marie Dallas stood upon seeing the trio. Striding over to Hohenheim, she took his hand in a handshake. "Hello. I'm Marie Dallas, Karmyn's mother. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cirle."

Ed and Al watched the adults talk. They then noticed Karmyn beckoning them over with her index finger.

"Follow me," she whispered.

They quietly walked over to the back of the room. There was a red object sitting on the table before them. The Elrics gasped.

"Is that-?"

"It looks like the Philosopher's-"

"This is what my mom's team of chemists got when they combined millions upon millions of Element 116 atoms. This is, essentially, Element 116," Karmyn interrupted.

"The element you showed me up with on the first day of school," Edward grumbled, recognizing the name. He hadn't quite forgiven her for that incident.

"Yes. And, as you can see, it looks shockingly familiar to a Philosopher's Stone." She turned back towards them. "Sit," she ordered.

Deciding that it was in their best interest to do so, they grabbed chairs and complied. They watched as Karmyn picked up the Stone and held it in her hands.

"If this had been completed even two weeks ago, I would have completely disregarded this tiny thing as mere coincidence," she began, holding the Stone between her right index finger and thumb. "However, this is not two weeks ago, this is today."

"Well, duh," Edward said sarcastically. He couldn't help himself.

"Brother! Shut up!" Alphonse hissed.

"Thank you, Al. As I was saying, this is today. After learning who you two are, I know that this is by no means a coincidence."

Where was she going with this? This was a different Karmyn than the two boys knew. She seemed . . . older . . . as if it was _her_ who had been working on this project, instead of her mother.

"We all know that the Philosopher's Stone is created using human souls. But, do we know what those souls turn into in order to give the Stone a physical form?

"The Stone is a tangible item. Therefore, it is created of millions, even billions of the microscopic particles we call atoms. Every atom _in this galaxy_ is one of the elements on the periodic table, or an element that we may not have discovered yet. This includes the Philosopher's Stone. The human souls are transmuted into atoms; therefore they are also transmuted into a new element. However, can I assume that nobody on your side of the gate has discovered what element they create?"

Ed was somewhat astounded. Where had she pulled this from? Even in Amestris, he had never considered what _element_ the Philosopher's Stone was made from. "Yes, I guess you could assume that," he told her. "I've actually never heard of this theory of yours."

"It makes sense, brother," Alphonse said eagerly, "Everything that Karmyn has said is true! The Philosopher's Stone is comprised of atoms, just like everything else in this world, and ours. All atoms are at least one of the elements, maybe more . . ."

"You're right," Ed agreed, his eyes watching the Stone, "But why hasn't anyone thought of this before? Why haven't we?" It seemed nearly ridiculous that they hadn't. It was almost too obvious!

Karmyn began to speak again, turning the Stone over in her hands. "What I can infer, from all the information I've gathered throughout the manga and both anime series, is that all you alchemists have been so caught up on the fact that it's created using human souls, you haven't taken the time to consider it. Either you're after it for power, in which case you don't care, you steer clear of it, in which case you have no reason to care, or you're so repulsed by the idea of how it's made that it doesn't cross your mind."

Ed nodded his head slowly, realizing that she was right. "True," he said.

"So if we consider this revelation in which the Philosopher's Stone is created of a new element, it brings us to this: even if _some_one, _some_where, had thought of this, why hasn't the research been furthered? The fact is, you don't have the technology. The Philosopher's Stone cannot be created this way on your side of the gate due to the fact that in order to do so, you would need a high-power nuclear smasher machine thingy like the ones that my mother works with."

Both Ed an Al looked at her oddly. Where had the mature, older, I'm-the-one-who-works-here-and-not-my-mother Karmyn gone?

"What?" she asked, "I don't work with these things! I don't know all the names!"

"Could've fooled me," Ed muttered to Al under his breath.

They once again fell silent as Karmyn continued with her lecture. "Our world is a parallel universe to yours. Therefore, we do have the same basic laws of chemistry and physics. Meaning, any elements that you have, we do as well, even if they are harder to come by. Either way, Philosophium is a man-made element on both sides of the gate."

"Philosophium?" Ed asked. _Do they really know that it's the Philosopher's Stone?_

"It's what I'm calling it for now, okay? Now shut up and let me talk!"

_Oh, okay. That's what _she_ named it. That makes sense._

Karmyn heaved an irritated sigh before starting again. "When I was thinking through this earlier, after I called you, I remembered that on your side of the Gate, the Philosopher's Stone enhances your alchemical abilities, seemingly bypassing the laws of Equivalent Exchange. This is due to the fact that the Gate takes the souls inside the Stone in payment, so in reality the laws still reply. Yada yada yada, blah blah blah, you already know this, so I'll move on."

"Wait, no- explain that bit again," Alphonse requested. _The Stone doesn't actually bypass the laws of Equivalent Exchange? That goes against what we've believed for years- what everyone believes!_

Karmyn sighed once again. "When one possesses the Philosopher's Stone, they believe that they are bypassing the laws of Equivalent Exchange. However, the Gate, or Truth, takes the souls that created the Stone as the fee for the action. The law still applies. Think of it as prepaid tuition for college. It may not seem as if you're paying all that much, but that's only because you paid part of the fee beforehand. That is why the Philosopher's Stone can be used up- the Gate takes away from it every time you use it. Understand?"

Al nodded- it made perfect sense now! But again, why hadn't anyone on _their_ side of the Gate thought of that? Why was it a sixteen-year-old from a world where the Philosopher's Stone and alchemy weren't even supposed to _exist_?

Continuing, Karmyn said, "In any case, the Stone enhances alchemical ability. This concerned me. I know that alchemy is supposedly impossible on this side of the Gate, but what if one possessed the Stone? Considering how much damage we have caused without alchemy, this greatly concerned me. Earlier, before you got here, I tested this. Using a pencil, I drew a transmutation circle on the floor a few hallways away. Using the Philosopher's Stone, I attempted a transmutation. Much to my relief, it didn't work."

"What if it isn't actually the Philosopher's Stone?" Ed interrupted once again, still somewhat skeptical.

"Brother!"

"It's okay, Al. I would have come to this conclusion as well, if it hadn't been for one thing," Karmyn said, "Edward, hold out your hand."

Confused, Ed complied. When he did so, Karmyn dropped the Stone into his outstretched hand. As soon as it touched his skin, he felt the warmth of its power flowing through him, exactly like when he had held the Philosopher's Stone in Amestris.

Al was looking on curiously, so Karmyn told him "Go ahead, you can touch it too."

When he did, he also felt the power flood through him. "Brother! This-"

"Yeah, Al. This feels exactly like the Stone," Ed replied. He looked up at Karmyn. "But why didn't it work?"

She smiled. "I knew you would ask that. I have a theory for that as well. Alchemy is impossible on this side of the Gate. I realize that events occurred on the Original Anime storyline. However, if you take a theory from Brotherhood and the manga, the Gate is what gives an alchemist his or her power. When you gave up your Gate in Brotherhood, you could no longer use alchemy. If I use this information, I can infer that people on this side of the Gate don't actually have Gates. Therefore, we cannot use alchemy. However," she paused, looking both of them in the eyes, "I know for a fact that you two _do_ have Gates. You just can't use alchemy on this side for some reason. However, if you possessed the Philosopher's Stone . . ."

"Then we might be able to! And using that, we could possibly get home!" Ed said, realization dawning upon him. _So, people on this side of the Gate can't use alchemy because they have no Gate. Interesting. I didn't think that there was a reason for it. I just thought it was impossible . . ._

"Karmyn!" Alphonse exclaimed, "You're a genius!" In his excitement, he jumped off his stool and gave her a friendly hug. Karmyn smiled, hugging him in return. Edward had a wide grin on his face.

The three of them were interrupted in their celebration by a slow clapping noise. When they turned to face the sound, they found Hohenheim standing a few feet away, Marie Dallas hovering a couple yards behind him. Ed and Al knew what he was going to say, but Karmyn didn't. _She must be pretty nervous right now,_ Al thought.

"It seems I've underestimated you," he told her, "I heard what you said, and I must admit that I'm pretty impressed. Even _I _hadn't thought of some of that, and I've lived for centuries longer than you have. I apologize for what I said before. After hearing you speak, I'd be hard-pressed to insist that you stay away."

The three friends glanced at each other, and then back at Hohenheim.

"Boys, we will not be moving to Zimbabwe any time soon. And now, I do believe that you have an experiment to try," he said, nodding at the Stone.

-o-O-o-

Edward stared down at the little red blob that lay in his cupped hands. "Can I even still do alchemy? It's been ninety years since I last used it . . ." He was amazed that he would even get the chance to try it again, even if it didn't work.

"Don't think of that, brother! If you can't do it, then I'll try."

"No," Ed told his younger sibling, "I'll do it. I've been waiting to do this for a long time." He glanced up at his father, who was still watching them. His gaze then traveled over to where Karmyn's mom stood. "Is it okay for us to be talking like this?" he asked Karmyn, gesturing to Marie, even though he had already guessed the answer.

Karmyn nodded. "I kind of had to tell her when she asked me why I had been moping in my room all last weekend," she said, a light hue of pink falling over her cheeks. "She knows everything. Sorry," she told them.

"I would have gotten mad," Hohenheim half-lied to her, "But it turns out that it was for the better."

Ed stood up, pushing his seat back to where it was before. Moving to the center of the room, he made as if he was going to clap his hands to start the transmutation.

"Wait," Karmyn said, stopping him.

"What is it _now_?" Ed asked, itching to get started with the transmutation.

"Don't you think it would be better if you drew an array? I mean, I know that you don't usually need to, but considering the scenario, wouldn't it be better to be safe than sorry?"

"She may be right, brother," Alphonse prodded his older sibling.

Edward mulled over the proposed option for a few minutes before realizing that, once again, she was right. Finally, he let his hands drop to his sides. "Fine," he told them, "You win. Do you have anything to draw with?"

Karmyn handed him a pencil that she had retrieved from her pocket. Taking it from her, he quickly drew a simple transmutation circle on the floor before him.

It felt as if the room held its breath as Ed slapped his hands down onto the circle, the Stone held between the middle and ring fingers of his left hand.

Nothing happened.

Once again, Edward attempted the transmutation. Once again, nothing happened.

"What? Why? It should be-" the alchemist was at a loss for words. _Was this a false lead?_ He couldn't help but wonder.

"Maybe it isn't actually the Philosopher's Stone," Alphonse suggested.

"No, it is," Karmyn said with her hand holding her chin, deep in thought. "I thought that something like this might happen."

"What do you mean, 'You thought something like this would happen?' Then why did you get our hopes up?" Edward exclaimed, exasperated. This girl could be infuriating sometimes.

"Because," she said ambiguously, much to the annoyance of the Elric brothers. Hohenheim just stood by and watched.

"Hey, mom! Can you get me a transparency and an Expo marker, please?" She called over to her mother, who had been hovering in the back of the room.

_Transparency? Expo marker? Huh? _Ed was confused. _What're those for?_

Once she had received the items, the Elrics watched as she drew a picture on the transparency with the Expo marker.

"A winking smiley face?" Al asked, voicing the confused thoughts of everyone in the room.

"Precisely," she said, holding the transparency between herself and Edward.

"Okay," she began, "Describe to me what the smiley face is doing," she told him.

_Uhm, why? Well, I guess she knows what she's doing better than I do . . ._ "Uhm, okay. It's winking its right eye-"

"Ah," Karmyn interrupted him before he could finish. "But I'm looking at the same picture, and it's winking its left eye."

"What has that got to do with anything?" Ed asked impatiently.

"Huh?"

"Listen," she told him, speaking as well to Al and Hohenheim, "This is the Gate." She pointed to the transparency she was holding. "This," she said, indicating the smiley face, "Is alchemy. Ed is on his side of the Gate, I'm on mine. What he sees is a smiley face winking its right eye. However, from my side, I see a smiley face winking its _left_ eye. For me, it's backwards."

"I think I'm starting to understand what you're saying," Alphonse said, his eyes brightening, "But is there any way that you can make it clearer?"

Karmyn thought for a moment. "Well," she said, "You could think of the Gate, and alchemy, as a door."

"What the hell?" Ed remarked, "How did you get 'door' from 'smiley face?'"

Alphonse was quick to shut his brother up. "Shh, Ed, you need to listen to this!"

"Thanks, Al. Now let's say that someone has been standing in front of this door for all their life. All that they know is that in order to open the door, they need to pull. When they pull, the door opens."

"Why would someone stand in front of a door for all their life? That's a pointless endeavor! All they know is that when they pull, the door opens? What are they, stupid?" Ed asked her, once again interrupting.

"Edward, it's a hypothetical situation. An example. None of this ever happened. Now then. Suppose that somebody takes them, the person who knows for a fact that when they pull, the door opens, and puts them on the other side of that door. Suddenly, when they pull, nothing happens. Since that's all they know how to do, they will never be able to open the door no matter how hard they try. In order to open the door from their new position, they must learn to push the door instead. It's the same door, but they must use the opposite action to open it.

"Ed, Al, even Hohenheim. _You_ are in that person's position. For all your life, you've known that in order to access the 'door' that is alchemy, you need to pull. Your transmutation circles are created to pull, as that is how you open it. However, here, on the other side of that same 'door,' you need to push in order to get it open, but you're still pulling."

Karmyn walked over to where Ed as and picked the pencil up off the floor. Bending over, she began to draw a new transmutation circle next to the old one.

"However," she continued, "This should be easy to fix. If I take the transmutation circle that you drew, Ed, and draw it again backwards, reversing it, then it should allow you to 'push' instead of 'pull.' There," she said, standing up. "Finished."

How high is your IQ level?" Edward asked her, incredulous.

Karmyn shrugged. "I dunno. I never had it tested," she told him nonchalantly. Ed was starting to suspect that it was a bit higher than most adults'.

Pocketing the pencil, she moved away from the circle she had just drawn. "Now then, Ed. Try transmuting using that new circle. Don't do anything too big. If it works, I have a feeling that the majority of that Stone will be needed in order to get you home."

Edward nodded, kneeling by the reverse transmutation circle. Taking a deep breath, he placed the Stone between his fingers once again and slapped his hands down onto the circle.

This time, there was a burst of electrical sparks and bright blue light.

A few seconds later, Ed held a small figurine in his hands.

"Brother! That's-"

"Yeah, Al, remember?" Ed told him. He had decided to transmute a figure similar to the ones they had done for their mother all those years ago.

"Then this means-"

"Yes, Al. We can go home!"

"We can see everyone again! It'll be great to see Winry!" Al paused when he realized something, turning back to Karmyn. "But, wait- you said that you tried to transmute using the Stone earlier right? And it didn't work- but did you reverse the circle?"

"I did not. Honestly, I only just thought of that theory as I was talking earlier. However, the theory of people on this side not having Gates still holds- and therefore renders the theory of the Reverse Transmutation Circle ineffective," she concluded. Al nodded at her, happy with her sensible answer.

The Elrics were the happiest they had been in nearly a century- they had found a way home!

-o-O-o-

_Dear God. This chapter alone was 20 pages and nearly 8,000 words. But, there's you Elric Intervention. Now you know what actually happened there . . ._

_I'll be updating again on Friday with a normal chapter- well, depending on how many I write I may update on Wednesday as well. If I write more chapters a week than I update, then I'm good. So you definitely get chapters Monday and Friday, and Wednesday depends on how far ahead I am. . ._

_Oh, one more thing! I have a bet with blackrose414. If she gets 55 reviews with twelve chapters of her story _Beyond the Lies, Into the Flames,_ then I update every day for five days. I just thought I'd inform you all of that . . ._

_Sayonara!_


	14. September 10, 2011 Cont III

_**Meh, so, I said that I wasn't gonna update until Friday, but I've written, like, three chapters already. So, I'm updating today as well. Wednesdays are wildcard days. You might get a chapter, you might not. . . **_

_I am on a roll here! Many, many thanks to all of you who read my stories/story. I have to say that all my other stories have gone on an unofficial temporary hiatus while I write this one- I can't get it out of my head! I'm thinking about it all the time- Even when I'm not writing it! Thank you for not making all my thoughts go to waste- I love you all!_

_You won't be getting this chapter for a few days- so really, this document is like a time capsule, writing to the future . . ._

_And yeah. I'd best get my head out of the clouds. Continuing on!_

_I apologize if the first few paragraphs of my chapters suck- it takes me a while to get into it._

-o-O-o-

**September 10, 2011**

Both the Dallas family and the Elrics decided to go out for lunch. After everything that happened, they felt as if they needed a break.

The five of them had chosen someplace close by, as they were planning on returning to the lab after they ate. There were still a few loose ends for them to tie up before they could work on getting the Elrics home.

The three teens sat at one table while the adults sat at another one nearby. Both were having their own conversations, neither was paying any attention to the other.

For the first time since the previous week, the Elric brothers and Karmyn felt completely at ease with each other. There was no awkward avoiding meeting the other person's eye or half-hearted attempts to start a conversation. Everything just came naturally, much to both parties' relief.

Edward and Alphonse had started by telling Karmyn exactly what had happened that day after she had fled.

" . . . And you didn't tell me?" Karmyn asked them, somewhat miffed.

"We couldn't," Al explained, "If we had, we wouldn't have been able to be talking like this right now!"

"Well, I guess it makes sense," she admitted. "Okay, fine. But I appreciate you sticking up for me like that."

"I guess Brother and I both felt the same way as you did. You're pretty fun to be around, and it's the first time we've really had a friend that knows as much about chemistry as we do."

"It's the first time you've really had a friend that's biologically your age," Karmyn corrected, "Other than Winry or . . ." Karmyn paused. "Do you know a guy by the name of Ling?"

"Oh, Ling Yao?" Ed joined their conversation. "Yeah, we know him. He's probably the emperor of Xing by now," he said.

"But . . . how do you know him? I mean, Brotherhood didn't happen, did it? So why-?"

"Actually," he said, interrupting, "It did. Neither the anime nor the manga got the story correct. Brotherhood depicts most of it. Only, when I went to get Al back, I didn't get my arm back or give up my alchemy, neither did we end up back in Amestris. We ended up on this side of the gate. We were associated with the Thule Society for a while, but they never were able to get to Shamballa. The anime also got our appearances right, though . . ." he said, referring to Al's darker hair and grey eyes.

"Meaning that Brother never did get the growth spurt that he did in Brotherhood," Al said jokingly. Ed seethed at him.

"Odd," Karmyn said after listening to his explanation. _That means they also know May,_ she realized. "Anyways, as I was saying, it's the first time you've really had a friend that's your age, biologically speaking. You were mostly friends with adults, weren't you? I don't remember you having very many friends that were as young as you were . . ."

"We didn't have time," Ed explained. "We were always moving, so we never really had a chance to get to know people."

"You've known me for a week. Surely you've spent that much time in some places. I think you just didn't want to make friends."

Al laughed. "You may be right about that. Brother never really was a social person!"

"I could tell!"

"Okay, okay, enough about me," Ed grumbled, "What about _you_?"

"Me?" Karmyn asked, "What about me?"

"Well," he started, "Where did you pull all those theories from? I mean, they're not something that someone could come up with on the fly!"

"Uhm, well . . . about that . . . I kinda did."

"You're kidding me!"

"Brother, I don't think she is."

"I'm dead serious. When I found that the Philosopher's Stone was real, these thought just came into my head. I remembered instances from the series and connected those to events that actually happened. One though led to another, and suddenly I understood almost everything. I combined both the Original Anime and Brotherhood to come up with the Gate/No Gate theory, and just used what I already knew for the one about the reverse transmutation circle . . ." Karmyn trailed off at the Elrics' stunned expressions. "Sorry- am I talking too much?"

"You're not even _from_ our side of the Gate, and yet you've come to so many conclusions about alchemy and the Gate and the Philosopher's Stone. How?" Al asked her, somewhat bewildered.

"Probably because I wasn't living it," was her answer. "I could look at these little instances and connect them and all that because I wasn't running away from them and fighting for my life. You two were a bit distracted to be thinking about the truth behind what was trying to kill you."

Ed laughed. "True. That is too true."

"So- when are you planning on going back?"

"Soon," Alphonse said, "We've waited for ninety years. We really don't want to have to wait for much longer."

Karmyn sighed. "I wish I could come with you," she said wistfully.

"You can't." Ed's voice was hard. The tone shocked her.

"Why not?" she asked, "I've always wanted to!"

"Just _don't_. You can't come with us. You shouldn't even think about it!"

Karmyn huffed, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. "Fine," she said.

A few minutes later, both Marie and Hohenheim stopped by their table.

"It's about time we get going," Marie told them, "We've already paid the bill, so let's get back."

"Okay!" Karmyn said, jumping to her feet. The Elrics quickly followed suit.

Karmyn couldn't stay mad at Ed for long, and soon they were all talking again like they had been. The drive back to the lab passed quickly, and soon enough everyone was back threading their way through the labyrinth of passageways.

Marie and Hohenheim broke off from the trio of friends to tell the office people that they were back. Meanwhile, Ed, Al and Karmyn continued on their way down to the lab. They were in sight of the door when Karmyn halted.

"What?" Al asked, "What's wrong?"

"Look," she pointed out, "The door's ajar. I swear I closed it when we left for lunch."

"Maybe it didn't close properly," he suggested to her.

"It's possible," she told him, turning to see his face, "But I don't think that's the case . . . I didn't tell you that as you were celebrating, I saw a shadow outside the door, looking in. I don't know how much he saw, but . . ."

At that moment the door was jerked open from the inside and a figure burst out. When Karmyn looked closer, she could see a flash of red in his hand.

"Stop! Thief!" she yelled, darting forward. Hearing her cry, the man turned and ran down the hall. Karmyn chased after him.

"Karmyn, wait!" Ed yelled, him and Al running after them.

"He's got the effing Philosopher's Stone! I need to get it back! You two go and get your dad and my mom!"

"Are you sure you can handle him alone?" Alphonse called to her.

"I can damn well try!" was her answer before she and the thief turned a corner.

The Elrics slowed down until they stood still, letting them get out of their sight.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Edward said to Al, who nodded in agreement.

-o-O-o-

Karmyn sprinted down the hall, keeping her eyes on the thief. She hated it when he turned corners, because she couldn't see where he turned after that. Luckily, she was close enough behind him that she was able to see him before he turned again. It was times like this that Karmyn thanked her mom for signing her up for the track team during middle school. It had built up her endurance, so she wasn't struggling for breath as much as she might've been.

Still, the distance and speed at which the two were moving was taking its toll. Neither of them was running as fast as they had been. Karmyn could hear that the man ahead of her was breathing heavily, though it might've been herself that she was hearing. Her leg muscles were burning, but she refused to slow down any more than she already had. She couldn't let the Elrics' only hope of getting home be taken!

Slowly, she gained on the Stone thief. In one last act of desperation, the thief dived into the closest corridor, only to find that it was a dead end. He frantically tried to open the doors that led to the rooms, but they were all locked. Karmyn stood at the opening, blocking his only escape route.

"Give it up," she panted. "Give me the Stone."

"Why should I? That doesn't benefit me in any way," the thief told her, also rather short of breath.

"That stone won't do anything for you in the first place."

The thief chuckled. "That's a lie, and you know it. I saw what that shrimp did. This stone gives people magical powers, doesn't it? Sorry, girlie. I don't think I'll be giving this to you." Gradually, the man turned so that Karmyn could see his face. She gasped.

"Mr. Carson?" she asked in disbelief.

"So you do recognize me. Well, I shouldn't be so surprised. This is the famous Marie Dallas' daughter we are talking about here," he said in an oily voice that Karmyn despised.

"Well, Mr. Carson. There are a few things I would like to say. Number one- you don't call me girlie. Number two- 'that shrimp' is my friend. He and I are almost the exact same effing height, so if you call him a shrimp, you're essentially calling me a shrimp as well, and I don't appreciate that. And number three- I wasn't lying when I said that stone won't do anything for you."

"I don't care," Mr. Carson told her, "Now I think I'm just stealing it for the sheer fun of it. I've had my eyes on this thing for the past few years- now it's mine." The smile that was on his face was sickening. It reminded her of Kimblee's grin from either of the Fullmetal Alchemist animes.

"You're a sicko," Karmyn accused him. "And a fool," she added on as an afterthought.

Looking back over her shoulder and down the hall, she saw the Elrics and her mother. Quickly formulating a plan, she called out, "Security! He's over here, and he's got the Element 116!"

"You little!" The thief yelled, enraged. Forgetting that he had the Stone in his hand, he reached out to grab her neck.

Karmyn ducked, catching the Philosopher's Stone as it fell. Staying close to the ground, she darted forward, sliding through the larger man's legs baseball-style as he overshot and lost his balance.

"Safe!" she yelled as she came to a stop. Quickly, she climbed back onto her feet, whirling around to watch as Mr. Carson was caught by both Edward and Alphonse. Triumphantly, she held up her hand with the Stone, grinning broadly.

The Elrics were surprised. "How-"

"Just a little bit of trickery," Karmyn said, brushing off their question. "Let's get this guy taken care of," she said, glaring down at him. "And I think that I'll be holding onto the stone tonight, just in case any more numbskulls get the idea to try this."

With that, the _real_ security arrived, and the matter was resolved.

That night, as Karmyn lay in bed, she held the Philosopher's Stone up in the moonlight, watching the milky light glint off its blood-red surface.

_After this, would her life ever be the same?_

-o-O-o-

_Star Wars reference in there, if you can find it! I'm sorry- I just had to. It fit perfectly there._

_To explain Karmyn's thinking there at the end, she thinking about the Stone and its powers. She's wondering if she'd always have to protect it and prevent its secret from getting out, wondering just how it would affect her life on this side of the Gate . . ._

_And I KNOW that they never knew Ling in the Original Anime. I don't care. I love Ling. I want him to be in my story, so he will be. Period. (And May as well!)_

_So, anyways. I was sorta confused- I didn't get nearly as many reviews for the last chapter than I have been getting recently- is it really getting that boring to read?_

_Whatever._

_Sayonara!_


	15. September 14, 2011

_**I've decided that I hate having to pace my updates . . . So I'm giving up on that . . . For now . . . I know, I'm horrible at keeping my word for these types of things, but you're probably happy about that, right? It may change back once school starts . . .**_

_Chapter 12 . . . (as far as the story progression chapters go- not including the Interventions or the Prologue- that would make . . . 15?) Wow. I can't believe I've come this far . . . And the story hasn't even begun yet!_

_So, finally, after I've calmed down a bit, I can begin working on this. I just finished the calculations for when they'll be getting back . . . and I cried. Honestly. I was legit crying. You will probably know why in the next chapter or the one after . . . or the one after that . . . Je ne sais pas._

_And, while I'm working on this, I've also started a series of FMA one-shots called __**The Top Ten Ways to Fail as an Alchemist**__, so that I have something else to work on while I'm in-between chapters. So you might want to check that out!_

_I took the Mary-Sue Litmus Test for Karmyn . . . and according to that she's Sue-ish beyond belief . . . What do you people think? Is she?_

_Soo . . . on with this chapter! _

-o-O-o-

**September 14, 2011**

Karmyn sat in her last class of that day, impatiently gazing out the window. Ever since the events of that weekend, she had been restless. Sticking her hand in her pocket, she fingered the red stone that she kept with her at all times.

Mr. Carson had been removed from the Boston Researcher's Lab soon after the incident in the hallway. Moreover, he was fired and escorted down to the local police station. Karmyn couldn't help but feel a sick satisfaction at seeing him dragged out the doors.

Sighing, she rested her chin in her other hand, still focusing on what lie outside the window. The Elrics hadn't shown up to school that day. Not that it surprised her. She had actually been informed of the fact beforehand. It was understandable, although she hated the reason why.

This was the day that they would be leaving.

Karmyn knew that she should be happy for them. After all, they had been stuck in her world for ninety years now. They could never stay in one place, and they didn't have any friends. Well, other than her that was. _Stupid fangirls_, she muttered inside her head.

She jumped when she heard her voice being called. Flushing with embarrassment, she asked "What was the question again?"

The teacher repeated it to her, and she answered it flawlessly. Silently, she drifted back into her daydreams as the teacher's attention drifted to someone else.

Needless to say, she was extremely grateful when the bell rang.

The hall was packed with students trying to get to their lockers. Karmyn ended up doing the 'hallway dance' _(A/N- this is when you end up sidestepping and turning sideways to get past people in the hall, it kinda feels like you're dancing . . . not that I've done it or anything . . . *whistles and backs away*)_ all the way to her locker.

Grabbing her backpack and all her homework, she slammed the door shut, joining in with the chorus of loud _bangs_ that emanated from all the other lockers being closed as well.

As she walked out the doors of the school, she stopped and took her iPod. Putting the earbuds in her ears, she scrolled until she found a song she liked. When she found it, she pressed play and continued walking.

She was turning off and heading towards the buses when a pair of figures caught her eyes. Karmyn sighed in annoyance, changing course to join them.

When she was in earshot, she ripped an earbud out. "What the hell are you doing here?" she hissed, "Do you know how much trouble you'll be in if you get caught?"

The shorter figure (who was Ed, if you hadn't already guessed) shrugged. "Then we just won't get caught," he told her offhandedly.

"That still doesn't answer my question!" she exclaimed, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"We figured that we could hang out for a little bit," Al explained, "Seeing as we're- Oh, hi Katherine!"

Karmyn whirled around. Sure enough, her best friend was walking over to where the three of them were gathered. She was a little annoyed at her friend's intervention, but she smiled anyways. "Hey, Kat!"

"Hey, Karmyn. Al? Will? What're you doing here? I thought you were out today," she said, voicing the same question that her friend had, albeit in a politer tone.

"Yeah, sorry. We had to . . . visit our grandmother today! We just got back," Al lied. Karmyn held back a snort.

"Oh, okay!" Katherine said, taking the falsehood hook, line and sinker.

"We were just about to go and hang out for a bit," Karmyn told her best friend. "You want to come with us?"

Katherine's gaze shifted from Karmyn, to the Elrics, and back again. _She still thinks that Ed and I had been dating,_ Karmyn thought with a sinking feeling.

"Sure! Where are we going?"

Placing her iPod back in her pocket, Karmyn turned to the Elrics. "I dunno. Where are we going?"

Ed shrugged. "We were just going to wander around downtown for a bit. Is that okay with you?"

"Sounds good," she said amiably.

Together, the four friends walked away from the school grounds.

-o-O-o-

Three hours passed before they all went their separate ways. Katherine left first, her house being the closest to where they were at that point in time. As soon as she left, the others relaxed considerably.

"Ah, man. I didn't realize how difficult it was to keep calling you Willard and Alfred," Karmyn remarked as soon as Katherine was out of earshot.

"I noticed," Ed commented dryly. "Do you still have it?"

At first she was confused, but then came to realize what Edward as talking about. She pulled the Stone out of her pocket. "Here it is," she said, showing it to the boys, "I haven't let it out of my sight."

"Good."

"I can't believe we're finally going back," Alphonse sighed, looking up at the sky. "It's been so long- I had almost given up hope!"

"But you didn't," Karmyn offered, "And look where it got you!"

Al smiled at her. "Yeah. Look where we are now." He said the last part while looking up again, as if he were talking to his mother in heaven. "Look where we are now."

The three of them were silent for another minute. Then Karmyn broke through their reverie.

"I'm sorry. I should probably be getting home. I'll see you later, right?"

"Well, yeah," Ed told her in a _no duh_ tone, "You have the stone, correct?"

She grinned, holding the said item up between her thumb and forefinger. "Yup!" She tossed it in the air like one would a coin before catching it. "See yah!"

With that, she ran the rest of the way to her house.

Upon entering the door, she discovered that her mom was not yet home. _She'd better get back here before we have to go over to the Elrics'_, Karmyn thought. She scribbled a quick note onto a piece of paper and left it where her mother would see it, explaining that she was up in her room.

There was something that she had to do . . . something that she had been contemplating doing for the past few days. She predicted that it would take the remaining amount of time that she had before she left.

Gathering the things she needed, Karmyn set to work. For the next couple hours she was busy writing, sketching, and highlighting . . .

She only hoped that it would be enough . . .

-o-O-o-

_Uber short chapter . . . sorry . . . but I thought that the contents of what comes next needs a chapter all to itself. This was really sort of a filler chapter . . . kinda. :/_

_I promise the next one will be longer . . . I hope. _

_I don't know if it's just me . . . but there seems to be a rather close-knit group of FMA fanfic writers (not naming names). We all seem to either be following or have favorited each other's writing, and we all seem to have given each other reviews . . . has anyone else seen this?_

_Beh, so anyways, that's all I wanted to say._

_Sayonara!_


	16. September 14, 2011 Cont

_Eeee! Next chapter!_

_Okay . . . this is probably the turning point of this story! I'm expecting REVIEWS, people. I didn't get too many for my last chapter. . . is this story really getting so boring that you don't want to read it? I can't read your minds, here!_

_**My goal is 100 reviews by chapter 24. **__It should be possible, considering that I had 55 at chapter 12. Come on people, help me!_

_I took the quote in this chapter from DaveofWays' profile, but it fit perfectly, so credit for the quote goes to him . . . I'm just a thief._

-o-O-o-

"There is a fine line between fiction and reality, though the choice to live but one may determine any outcome."

–Anonymous

-o-O-o-

**September 14, 2011**

Karmyn and her mother decided to walk to the Elrics' house that night. The air was crisp and the sky was clear, making it a pleasant experience. The two of them spoke of trivial things, filling the silence of the autumn night air.

Looking over, Karmyn observed the figure beside her. Marie Dallas was the same height as her daughter. One could see where Karmyn had inherited her blonde hair, although Marie always kept hers tied up in a ponytail. Her face was nearly a mirror image of the younger girl's, if it weren't for her eyes.

Marie's eyes were a pale green, not even close to the sapphire blue that her daughter's were. The teen had her father's eyes, which she had always been proud of. That is, until he left. Karmyn hated looking in the mirror and seeing her dad staring back at her. She couldn't remember how often she had called her reflection a bastard.

Her only consolation was the little green areas that rested in the bottoms of the irises. It was as if her mother had refused to let her dad take all the glory, and had forced a bit of her own color in there, although it was a much more vibrant green than that of Marie's own.

Karmyn snapped out of her contemplations as the duo rounded the corner to walk down the road that the Elrics lived on. She stuck her hand in her coat pocket, making sure that the smooth rounded stone was still there. It would have been terrible for the brothers to come all this way only to have their hopes dashed to smithereens once more.

She also puzzled upon what Hohenheim had said a few days ago. "I'm not going," was what he had said, shocking her. _Why wouldn't he go? Isn't Amestris his home as well? _Apparently, he was staying behind to keep his eye on Element 116 to make sure that nothing went horribly wrong, 'horribly wrong' entailing that people found out its secret, and that some people actually had Gates, allowing them to use alchemy. She saw it as a valid point, but still. Shouldn't he want to go home as well?

_It's his choice,_ she supposed, _I don't really get a say in the matter._

The two arrived at the Elrics' house shortly after. Karmyn rang the doorbell, hoping to get their attention. When the Elrics were really absorbed into something, almost nothing could break their concentration. She remembered that much from the anime.

She was just about to go ahead and enter the house when she heard thudding footsteps in the hallway, growing louder. The door was wrenched open, and in the glow of the light in the house, she recognized a flustered Edward.

"Sorry about that," he apologized, "We were kind of caught up in what we were doing."

Entering the house, Karmyn smiled at him. "It's okay. I thought that may be the case. I know how you get."

A confused look shot across his face before settling into a 'no duh' expression. "Oh, right. Forgot . . ." he said sheepishly.

By this point in time, both Karmyn and Marie were standing in the hallway, the door closed behind them. Karmyn remembered the last time she had been in this room- she nearly kicked herself for her behavior then.

"This way," Edward told them, motioning with his hand. When they followed, he led them to the back of the house, before descending the stairs into the basement where Hohenheim and Alphonse were waiting.

Karmyn looked around, observing the Elrics' basement. In one corner there was a pile of old prosthetic limbs, a pile of metal arms and legs. Even more disturbing were the more recent limbs, which were encased in an artificial skin covering. She shuddered, looking away from the realistic limbs. Along one wall was a row of bookshelves, packed from top to bottom with old books. Some of them looked newer, but many of them were old and dusty.

Speaking of dust . . .

Karmyn sneezed, the sound breaking through the silent atmosphere. When she looked up, everyone was staring at her. "Sorry," she muttered. "Stupid dust . . ."

"Did you bring it?" Al asked her eagerly.

Nodding, she pulled the crimson pebble-sized rock out of her pocket, holding it up for them to see once again. She couldn't get over the warm feeling that fled through her veins each time touched it. If it was up to her, she'd hold onto it and never let it go. Alas, she had to hand it over to the Elrics.

Ed took it, tossing it up and down a couple times. "Heh. We're gonna do it. We're going to get home!" he stated to no one in particular.

"That _was_ the idea," Karmyn told him. He rolled his eyes, causing her to laugh.

"Hey, Karmyn, does this circle look right?" Al broke in, holding up a piece of paper. Leaving Ed where he was, she walked over and kneeled down next to where Al was sitting. She accepted the paper that he handed to her.

She scrutinized it carefully, looking over every single detail. She thought back to the week that she had spent that summer doing nothing but studying transmutation circles. At that time, she had known that it was a pointless endeavor. What would she have to gain by becoming an expert in something that was purely fictional?

Apparently, a lot.

She looked closer at the matrix drawn on the paper. Most of it seemed to be perfectly reversed, except . . .

"You should probably draw the letters backwards as well. You've written the words backwards, but flipping the letters would probably give you a higher chance of success."

Al looked at her funny. "How do you know this? You've never even done a simple transmutation, let alone a backwards human transmutation . . ." he trailed off as he finished his sentence.

"I wasted a week of my summer studying these matrixes," Karmyn told him, "And I still thought they were fiction. I'm hopeless."

"You didn't waste that week. Look, you were able to help us!" he protested.

"I know that _now_. Anyways, just flip the letters."

"All set?" A voice queried from over her shoulder. She jumped, twisting around to see Ed looking on.

"Yep!" Al confirmed.

"Right. I've got the chalk. Would you like to help us, Karmyn?"

Karmyn's eyes widened in shock. She? Help the Elrics? Draw a transmutation circle? She was in! "I- I-" she stuttered, unable to get the words out that she wanted to say. _Fine. I give up._ "Sure," she told him, accepting the piece of chalk.

-o-O-o-

It took the three of them around ten minutes to draw out the complex matrix. Quite often they would be so concentrated on their line that they didn't notice another doing the same thing. Quite often, they bumped into each other. Despite the clumsy co-ordination, they had good teamwork and managed to get it done reasonably quickly.

One could see what lines Karmyn had drawn compared to the Elrics. Hers were slightly shaky and not as bright as the rest of them. Other than that, she thought that she had done quite well. She was a little sore from sitting in a crouch for so long, so she stood up to stretch. She smiled over at her mother in the process, her happiness at getting the Elrics home showing on her face. Her mom grinned back.

The Elrics examined the circle one more, making sure that everything was perfect. Slowly, they stepped out into the center, the Stone held in Edward's left hand.

Karmyn hugged her mother from the side as she watched the two brothers exchange looks with their dad. _They must've said their goodbyes already_, she realized. When they turned to her, her breath got caught in her throat. _No, _she told herself, _you can't get choked up. This is what you wanted. They'll get home, and you'll go on living your own life._ She smiled weakly at the two boys who had quickly become her best friends.

_So long, and thanks for all the fish,_ Karmyn couldn't help but imagine them saying. Unable to contain her laughter, she giggled softly, earning her yet another odd look from the Elrics. She didn't mind. It was likely the last look that she'd get from them. . .

They were raising their hands to start the transmutation when she saw something in the middle of the circle. Her heart beating fast, she clapped her hand to the back pocket of her jeans. _Crap,_ she thought, _crapcrapcrapcrapCRAP! _Her wallet had fallen out of her pocket as she was crouched over drawing the circle!

"Wait!" She yelled, dashing forwards. She had to get her wallet back- it held everything! Her credit cards, her school ID, her money, even her driver's license! "Stop!"

"Karmyn, wait- NO!" Ed screamed; unable to stop his hands fast enough to halt the transmutation. Both the Elrics looked on in horror as her foot landed inside the circle. She had been running too fast to be able to avoid the transmutation. Her eyes shot open in shock and fright as she, too was caught inside of the blinding light of the operation.

Her hair blew as the winds picked up. She tried to step away from the circle, but it had caught her fast. "No!" she shouted, once again trying to remove herself from within the matrix. The blinding white and yellow lights swirled around them, creating a vortex of brightness. _Why had she been so rash?_ She wondered, dismayed. If she looked closely, she could still see her mother standing outside of the circle. _Why?_

The dazzling white and yellow light darkened to a deep ominous purple, and it was then that she came to the sickening realization that the Elrics must have known all along.

_There wasn't enough power in the stone to get three of them across safely._

_That_ was why Hohenheim had refused to go. _That _was why Ed had been so adamant about her staying in her own world. _That _was why- was why-

Karmyn could do nothing as the purple lights swirled around with terrifying force, materializing into the creepy black hands that she had seen so many times before on her television and computer screens. She could only watch in horror as the wavy tentacles wrapped themselves around her limbs and body, dragging them into empty black oblivion.

She didn't feel the pain. Later, she would imagine that it was the shock, as she heard plain as day Ed and Al's screams. She refused to. She would not scream. The last thing she remembered before blacking out was her mother's figure getting closer . . . closer . . . her mother's hand breaking the light barrier . . .

And then she was out.

-o-O-o-

_CLIFFIE!_

_You do NOT know how much I wanted to give this to you as soon as I finished it. Alas . . . I couldn't._

_Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference in there! A mention to whoever gets it!_

_Meeh I'm looking forward to writing the scene with Truth! Hehe . . . I get the feeling that he'll be fun to write!_


	17. Indeterminate

_Hello, all of you! I am extremely happy about the increase in reviews! As for what happens to Karmyn, you'll find out! Hehehe._

_Oh, and as for the person who got the reference, it was TheSteelFlameAlchemist. The reference was the 'So long and thanks for all the fish' line! Yayz!_

_Now you're all probably dying to find out what Karmyn's fate is . . . and so I won't keep you any longer. Read on and LEARN!_

-o-O-o-

**Indeterminate**

At least, she thought she was out.

Karmyn felt an exhilarating lurch in her stomach- the one that's often caused by large rollercoasters- As the inky tentacle tightened themselves around her, dragging her forward with tremendous force. Her head spun as she was pulled at inhuman speeds through a void of black nothingness.

At least, she thought it was nothingness.

It wasn't long before a slideshow of information presented itself in the blackness. The images flashed quickly, remaining for no longer than a half a second before switching to the next one. She was still being pulled by the creepy hands, but that quickly left her awareness as she attempted to take in the knowledge that was being presented to her.

She didn't panic. She knew what was going on, and what was happening. Although she knew, it didn't mean she could comprehend what was flashing by her eyes as she drifted within the Gate of Knowledge. As she was becoming overwhelmed, she tried to close her eyes to shut out the images, but that only made her situation worse. Karmyn watched as the images took on the shape of DNA strands, winding and weaving throughout the dark void. Looking down at herself, she saw the alchemical pattern etched on her skin around where the tentacles grabbed her.

Turning away, she looked up at where she was going. There was a tiny light- a tiny, bright white light that lay in the distance. As she watched, the light grew larger and larger. _Truth_, she thought knowingly. Suddenly, the speed at which she was being dragged slowed considerably, causing her stomach to lurch once more. She was set upright just in front of the brightness, where the dark inky mass then proceeded to push her out, much like one would push their sibling out the door if they hesitated for too long.

When she recovered her balance, Karmyn stood just outside the large elaborate set of doors. She flinched as she heard them close ominously behind her, leaving her in the pure white void that she had heard so much about. Warily, she scanned her surroundings. Her search came to no avail. There was nothing there except the white space that went on forever. Slowly, cautiously, she turned around, looking back at the heavyset doors through which she had just arrived, and which now blocked her only way out.

"Hehehehe. Looking for something?"

Karmyn's heart leapt. She spun around quickly, jumping at the sound of the somewhat sinister voice. However, she could still see nothing.

"Truth," she called out, relieved that her voice wasn't as shaky as she felt. "I know you're there. Reveal yourself!"

"Oh, so you know who- or what- I am. Interesting," Truth wheedled as its darker outline began to show against the whiteness of their surroundings. "Then again, I already knew that . . ."

"Yes, Truth," Karmyn said, standing her ground, "And I also know _where_ I am, _why_ I'm here, and _what_ you do."

"This is different. _You're _different from all the others that have come through here," it said in its nasal tone, "Everyone's always been complaining about something or other when they come to visit. Really, this is quite refreshing. "

"I'm not here to play games, Truth," she said firmly.

"Oh, I know that. Unfortunately, games are what you have to play," it said cryptically.

"Listen, I didn't commit the Taboo. I only-"

"You only got caught up in a transmutation to open the portals. _I_ know. You're from the _other_ side, the side from which there is supposed to be no return. The parallel dimension. You helped two of my previous acquaintances return from a place where they were supposed to stay. You _knew_ what was happening, and yet you foolishly let yourself get caught up in it in the process. Very impressive, _Karmyn Dallas_, impressive, but not quite enough."

She didn't ask how it knew her name. She already knew the answer. "Will they get there? The Elrics?" she asked desperately. She was at the point where she didn't care about herself. From the start, it was all about getting Ed and Al safely across to Amestris. She had just gotten in the way.

"You realize that there was only enough power there for two people to cross," Truth told her in its annoying tone, "And yet, you wouldn't rather use that power for yourself?"

Karmyn didn't hesitate to shake her head no. "It was all about them from the start. I only got in the way. I give any portion of that power that was going to be used on me to them, so that they can cross safely."

"What a selfless person," it wheedled, "However, that will be your undoing."

"I don't care. If it gets them home, I'm happy."

"You know," Truth began, "I know of all those theories of yours, and they were extremely accurate. I can't tell you about all of them, but I can say that one of them was dead on," it said. "As for which one, look around."

Karmyn glanced around the white void. She kept her eyes away from Truth and its creepy smile. Glancing behind her, she knew.

"I have no Gate," she said, resigned to the fact.

"Correct," it told her. "Therefore, since you gave up your portion of the power, you have no way out of here."

_Well,_ Karmyn thought, _I knew that coming in here._ "I realize that," she said, moving to sit cross-legged on the void. "I won't be going anywhere. It looks like I'll just be keeping you company for the rest of eternity," she said, looking it straight in the 'eyes.'

Truthfully (Karmyn nearly kicked herself for the irony of the situation), she couldn't stand the thought of being trapped for all eternity with Truth. There was nothing. Nothing that could even keep her remotely occupied for even an hour, let alone the rest of her life.

Karmyn stuck her hands in her jacket pockets, just to keep them somewhere. She was shocked when her right hand hit something hard. Feeling around in her pocket, her hand closed around a small, rectangular object. Pulling it out, she silently gasped.

_She still had her iPod with her._ She nearly laughed outright in the situation. Here she was, stuck in an endless white void with a drab outlook for the rest of her life, and she had her iPod? Taking advantage of the little luck that she had found, she placed her earbuds into her ears and turned it on.

"You've resigned yourself to your fate," Truth observed.

"It's what I had to do," was her simple answer.

Truth merely made a noise in acknowledgement.

-o-O-o-

Karmyn didn't know how long she had been sitting there. It could have been seconds, minutes, days-hell, even months or years. She had zoned out, listening to the background noise of her iPod. Time had become irrelevant.

"Well," it said, "This is interesting," Truth said, causing her to look up.

She watched in horror as it took her mother's form, right down to the clothes she had been wearing as she watched the transmutation. "Wha- what? Why? How?" Karmyn was at a loss for words.

Her disbelief only grew as a large door materialized across from where she had been dumped. "What's happening?" she asked Truth, her eyes wide. She had ripped the earbuds out of her ears, her iPod was turned off.

"Your toll," it told her, "Has been paid. You may move on now."

"Wait- why?" she raised her voice, "I haven't done anything!"

"_You_ haven't," Truth said, "But someone else _has_."

Karmyn looked at Truth in horror. It had taken her mother's form, like it had taken Ed's . . . arm . . .

"NO!" she yelled, coming to the sickening realization, "Mom!"

"She did this for you," Truth said, "You humans are so hard to please. You didn't want to be stuck here, and yet, when that wish was granted, you're still not happy," it said, "You should appreciate what she did for you."

"No! Mom! No!" she was still yelling as the Gate shot open, its inky black tendrils racing out to grab her. "Nooo!"

She was pulled through the large double doors, still yelling as they slammed behind her.

And, once more, she was pulled through the vast black void of incomprehensible-yet-comprehensible streams of knowledge. . .

-o-O-o-

_Yeah, okay. That was fun . . . :P_

_Next chapter is set in Amestris, peoples! We have reached the end of the 2011 story arc!_

_Sayonara!_


	18. 25 December, 1916

_Chapter Fifteen . . . O.O_

_This could be a really unrealistic chapter . . . and I know that. I'm willing to go back and revise it if I need to . . ._

_So, anyways. Here we go._

-o-O-o-

**25 December, 1916**

"No- Mom," Karmyn moaned in her unconscious state. "Mom!"

"Do you think she's okay, Brother?"

"I don't know- she's been like that for a while . . ."

Karmyn started to awaken, slowly blinking into consciousness. When she opened her eyes completely, she found herself staring up at a . . . rock ceiling? It was all dark and grey. _What's going on?_ She wondered, a little woozy.

"Ah! Look, Brother! She's awake!"

"Uhn," she said, attempting to sit up. "Where . . . am I?" she asked, rubbing her forehead with the base of her hand.

"Karmyn, we're . . . we're on the other side of the Gate," Alphonse explained.

"The other . . . side? But . . . I wasn't . . . going to make it. Not enough . . . power in the . . . Stone. I had no . . . Gate . . ." Karmyn trailed off. Suddenly, her memories came flooding back to her. _The transmutation. Her wallet. The Gate. Truth . . . her mother. Her mother._

"No, NO! This can't be happening!" Karmyn sat bolt upright, looking frantically at her surroundings. _No,_ she thought, denying it once more. However, there wasn't much to deny. The three of them were in a gold- colored ballroom . . . _The underground city . . . FMA . . ._

"Karmyn, are you alright?" Al asked, concerned.

"No! No, I'm not alright that son of a BITCH!" she screamed at no one in particular. Both Ed and Al were shocked. In the few weeks that they had known her, Karmyn had never used such harsh language.

"Karmyn?"

"I'm gonna KILL that guy! Truth, you BASTARD!" With that outburst, she broke into tears. The Elrics exchanged a look. Karmyn had never cried openly in front of them. They watched, stunned, as large sobs wracked through her body, causing her to shake.

"Karmyn?"

"He . . ." she gasped for air, hiccupping a little. "He . . . took my . . . he took Mom!" She fell silent as another round of tears streamed down her face. She was crying rather loudly, her face hidden between her knees and her arms.

"Karmyn," Ed said gently, "Calm down and tell us exactly what happened."

Karmyn sat up, breathing deeply to control her sobs. She wiped her eyes with her hands, getting most of the water out of them. Taking another deep breath, she began telling the Elrics about what happened.

"I'm sorry, it was all my fault . . . with the wallet. But it held . . . everything. My credit cards, my school ID, even my driver's license! I . . . wasn't able to stop in time . . . and stepped in the circle by accident. I tried to . . . get out, but I couldn't . . . move! I saw my mom try to grab me, but . . . then I was out. The creepy tentacles . . . dragged me to see Truth . . . where I gave up my share of the power in the Stone . . . to get you two back . . . I had no Gate, so Truth said that I would stay with him . . . for all eternity. And then . . . and then . . ."

Here, she nearly broke down into sobs again. However, she managed to continue.

"And then Truth . . . he took the form of my mom . . . and said that my toll was . . . paid . . . not . . . by me . . . but by . . . someone . . . else. I remembered . . . how he took . . . your arm . . . Ed . . . he took . . . he took Mom!"

With that, she fell back into her fit of tears.

"There . . . has to be some way . . . to get her back! You . . . searched for . . . the Philosopher's Stone! We could . . . we could . . . somehow . . ."

_Smack!_

She stopped short as she felt a stinging blow land on her cheek. Looking up through teary eyes, she saw that Ed was now on his feet, his hand raised.

"Brother!" Al protested.

"Shut it, Al. Karmyn isn't in her right mind at the moment." Turning to Karmyn, he addressed her. "You forget, Karmyn, that we're in Amestris now. The stone isn't something made cleanly from bashing two atoms together. Here, it's still made of human lives, human souls. We went through hell chasing that thing, and you know it. If you were thinking straight, you wouldn't even suggest it."

"Brother, wait! You're being too harsh!"

Ed ignored his sibling. "It's too late. What's done is done, and there's no changing the past. We tried that once, and look where it got us. We can only change the future, and move forward. I once told someone, 'You have two good legs. Use them.' I now say the same to you. Stand up, move on, there's no going back."

Karmyn's tears slowed. "What you said to Rose, after the Liore incident," she recalled. She laughed weakly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have . . . I don't know what came over me." She looked up at Ed before glancing over towards Al, who was still on the ground next to her. "I'm sorry. I'm so . . . very . . . sorry . . ."

"Besides," Al spoke up. "Haven't you noticed? You're speaking flawless Amestrian," he pointed out.

"Hey, what?" she asked, confused.

"Say something in English," he prodded.

"_But I am speaking in English,"_ she said. _"Wait . . . this sounds different than what I was speaking before!"_

"_Yes,"_ Al pointed out, also speaking in English, _"That's because you were just speaking Amestrian! Now say something like you had been!"_

"That is so weird . . . I've never even heard this language before, and yet I can speak it like a natural!"

"I think," Edward said, looking down at the two, "That your mother paid for a little bit more than your passage over here."

"A little bit more, huh?" A thought hit her. "Let's hope that she paid for my lifespan as well. . ." she muttered. "Otherwise I'm in for a real short trip."

"Huh?"

"Uhm, hello? I'm not sure if you realized, but one year here is a hundred years where I come from. You guys aged at the Amestrian rate on my side of the Gate. If I age at my rate on your side of the Gate, I'll be dead in less than . . . oh . . ." here, she did some mental calculation- "Eight months."

The three of them shuddered as she predicted her death.

"Hey, Karmyn- you're not crying anymore," Alphonse observed.

"Yeah, I think Ed knocked some sense into me," she said. "What he said was right. I was just acting like a spoiled brat."

"Not really," Al said, "I mean, that's basically what we were like when our mom died . . ."

"Anyways," Ed announced, changing the subject. "We should probably think about getting aboveground."

-o-O-o-

The three of them steadily made their way to the surface, none of them really talking any. Every now and then Karmyn had a delayed sniffle or gasp of air from her fit a while earlier, but other than that it was mostly silent.

They were about to step out into the sunlight when Karmyn stopped them. "Wait," she said.

The Elrics turned around to look at her. Quickly, she started to explain herself.

"We're about to step into Central, right? Most people in Central knew you. Most people in Central have considered you dead for almost a year now. You may not have noticed, but you don't have your contacts and your hair dye's been taken out, most likely from when you went through the Gate. People will think you're a couple of ghosts, or else get excited and crowd around us and we'll never get anywhere."

She shrugged off her jacket that she was still wearing, placing it over Ed's shoulders. "Put that on, and pull the hood up so that it covers your face," she ordered. She didn't wait for his response before turning to Al. "As for you . . ." she stopped for a moment, contemplating what she could do. It wasn't long before she developed an evil smirk.

"Ed. As soon as you put that jacket on, zip it up and take off your shirt."

"WHAT? Why?" he asked, flustered. Seeing that, she rolled her eyes.

"You have the jacket. Suck it up. I need you to transmute a hat for Al, and none of us have any extra clothes for material you can use."

"Please, Brother?" Al asked him.

He sighed. "Fine."

Karmyn looked away as he removed the shirt he was wearing. Sure, she'd already seen him shirtless in the anime, multiple times in fact, but in real life it was just . . . awkward. When she figured it was safe to look over, she did so.

Ed had the jacket on, zipped up most of the way. He hadn't yet put up the hood, but it wasn't necessary quite yet. Karmyn watched as he gleefully clapped his hands and transmuted the fabric without any problems.

Handing it to Al, he said "You would not believe how good it feels to do that again."

Al put the hat over his head, tucking his long hair up into it. Ed pulled the hood of the jacket up and tugged it down over his face. Karmyn just went as is. Nobody would recognize her, as she had never been seen by anyone in Amestris before.

Together, the three of them stepped out into the late afternoon sunlight.

Karmyn's breath caught in her throat. It was so dazzling! There were lights strung up across the buildings and there was a light sprinkling of snow covering the ground. She didn't know that Central could be so pretty!

She looked over to the Elrics, who were also taking in their surroundings. There was a serene smile on Alphonse's face, while Ed's eyes were wide.

"Hey, Brother! It must be near Christmas!"

"No, Al, I think it _is_ Christmas. Look- there aren't any cars in front of HQ."

Karmyn would ask about the Amestrian Christmas later. At the moment, it just seemed so perfect. The Elrics arrived home to find that it was Christmas. What better present could there be? Looking around, she spotted a pay phone further down the street. It was then that she had the perfect idea. Thinking about it, it nearly brought tears to her eyes.

"Ed," she said softly, "Do you have any Cens on you?"

"A couple. I've kept them throughout the ninety years that I've been on your side of the Gate. Why?"

Karmyn grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him over to the pay phone, Alphonse following. "Wha- what are you doing?" he asked as they reached her destination.

She pointed at the phone. "It's Christmas, right? I think you need to call Winry. She should be the first to know that you're back."

Ed gulped. "What? But-"

Al grinned. "Go on, Brother," he said, pushing him forward slightly. "It's not like she can hit you with a wrench over the phone."

"Okay, okay, fine." He said, walking over to the phone. Karmyn watched as he inserted the coins into the slot and dialed what she assumed to be Winry's number.

Both Alphonse and Karmyn leaned in closer to hear what was said. Winry picked up on the third ring.

"Hello, Rockbell Automail. How can we help you?" her voice came through over the line.

Once again, Ed swallowed nervously before speaking. "Uhm, hi. Merry Christmas, Winry."

-o-O-o-

_Aaaand, another cliffie. Sorry. I'm thinking of doing a side-chapter with Winry's point of view for their phone call, because I really want to do that! That will come after the next chapter, though . . . Which is an Elric Intervention, which means that you won't get to know what their phone conversation will entail until after that . . . Sorry, I've got bad timing, and I know it . . ._


	19. A Mother's Love

_Hello. Wow- I've been doing daily updates here for a while now . . . however, that rate will most likely slow a little bit due to the fact that I've caught up with all of my archived chapters . . . and the next chapter is an Intervention so it'll take a little longer for me to write . . ._

_A quick one-shot interlude in here. I understand that what went on with Truth was . . . confusing. Therefore, I am writing this in hopes of clearing some things up . . ._

_I revised that chapter a bit after blackrose414 pointed something out to me . . . so I fixed it. I'm also gonna go back and revise chapter 14 . . . so you may wanna look back at that at some point in time . . ._

_I'm at 94 reviews- I've almost reached my goal for 100! Come on- can I get six more?_

-o-O-o-

**A Mother's Love**

Marie Dallas had looked on horrified as Karmyn dashed forward to retrieve her wallet. She knew that she had been almost too lenient where the Elrics had been concerned. She had even let them take the results of a project she had been working on for years! She had made mistakes and done the wrong things before, but none of that crossed her mind at that moment.

Her only daughter, seventeen years old, had run towards her death. To retrieve her wallet.

Marie knew that Karmyn wouldn't actually die. She would just end up on the other side of the Gate, with Edward and Alphonse. She would live the rest of her life in Amestris. But to her, her daughter would be dead. She would never see her again. After losing her husband, Marie knew that she couldn't let that happen.

Looking over at Hohenheim, who had been watching the unfolding events with a straight poker face, she smiled and mouthed a quick 'thank you.' When her attention returned to her daughter, she noticed that the light had turned a dark purple color. She watched in horror as long black spaghetti arms grabbed Karmyn by the limbs, tearing them off as they disintegrated into oblivion.

She dashed forward, praying that she would be able to reach in time. She nearly grasped Karmyn's right arm, but that too quickly vanished beyond her reach. She was about to withdraw her arm from the light when the inky black tendrils turned and latched onto _her_.

"What?" she cried in confusion. "No! No, leave me alone, I'm not going!"

Her words fell upon deaf ears as they tightened; holding her still while others went to grab the rest of her body. "No!" she yelled. _This wasn't what I wanted! _She called out inside her head as she too was dragged into darkness.

As she was pulled through the Portal of Truth, she was amazed at all the information that entered her brain. What she could do with it if she ever got home! Unfortunately, her time in there was all too short as she was dumped out into a white void.

She remembered her daughter speaking of this. It had been called the 'Truth.' In fact, it had been a running gag in their household for many years . . .

"I see you are here as well," a voice sounded from in front of her.

_Oh, God,_ she thought. _Then that must be . . ._

"Truth."

"Yes, that is me," it told her, materializing. Or, at least, materializing as much as it ever materialized.

"What have you done with my daughter?" she demanded of the being before her.

"You and your daughter are both fools," it told her. "You both got caught up in something that you never should've gotten caught up in. She is currently paying the price, as you will too."

"Why? I didn't do anything, she didn't do anything, why do we have to pay?" she asked desperately.

"There was only enough power in the Stone that you used to bring two people through here safely, and yet, two more came along. Your daughter, Marie Dallas, your daughter gave up her share of the power for the Elrics."

"But then, where is she now? What happened?"

"She sacrificed herself to save her friends. She will be spending her time with me from now on," it told her.

_When did my life go so wrong?_ Marie had to ask herself.

"As I see it," Truth continued, "You have three options."

"Three . . . options?" she asked hesitantly.

"The first option is to use your portion of the Stone's power to return home, although you will have to give something else up as well. The second option is to use that power to move forward into Amestris, where the previous condition still applies. The third and final option is to give up your portion of the Stone's power to either Karmyn or the Elrics. That is all."

Marie thought about it. She could return home- she had work waiting for her there after all, but if she did, she would be all alone. Karmyn would still be gone. If she went to Amestris, she would have _nothing _there, so she quickly ruled it out. She could give up her power to Karmyn, to allow her back home or to allow her to cross over, but then Karmyn would still have to pay something of her own- the Stone's power wouldn't be enough. She could give it to the Elrics . . .

She began putting together bits and pieces of what she knew. _Karmyn probably wouldn't return home, not if she knew that I wouldn't be there,_ she thought, _not if she had a chance to go to Amestris._ She paused, thinking. _But a year in Amestris is one hundred years here, so if she crossed over with the stone, it wouldn't pay for her lifespan . . . or the language_, she added.

She remembered an old principle that many people had gone by in the past- "A life for a life." Would Truth hold to it as well? Marie knew that she wouldn't make it out of the white void complete, but her daughter just might . . .

Her decision was made.

"Okay, Truth. I made my choice. First, give the Stone's power to the Elrics-" she paused, taking a deep breath. "And second, take me as Karmyn's payment."

Truth looked at her for a few moments before bursting out into laughter. "Oh, this is great, just great! That wasn't even one of the option I gave you! Are you absolutely sure?"

Marie thought for a moment before nodding. If it came down to a choice of allowing either her daughter or herself to live, she would give the chance to Karmyn without hesitating, such was a mother's love.

"Yes," she stated softly. "Allow my daughter to live. Allow me to let her live. Take me as her payment."

Truth smiled. "Very well, then."

As Marie Dallas passed into oblivion, one could almost hear her last thoughts.

_Good luck, Karmyn. Don't feel so bad for me. This was my choice. You go, and live your life . . . be safe . . . and remember . . . I love you . . ._

-o-O-o-

Back on the other side of the Gate, Hohenheim sighed, aware of the events that had transpired. Lowering his head slightly, he walked out of the basement, preparing to go forge the documents that would allow him to take over Marie Dallas' position at the Researcher's Lab. The Philosopher's Stone had already given one world so much trouble. He wouldn't let it happen again.

-o-O-o-

_Hopefully that cleared some things up for you . . . now you know what transpired on Marie's side of things . . ._

_Elric Intervention next, then we continue on with the storyline!_


	20. Elric Intervention III

_Another chapter, another Elric Intervention. This makes three, now. I can't believe that I've gotten this far . . . wow. I breach 50,000 words with this chapter . . . _

_**AND HOLY CRUD I'VE ALREADY GOTTEN MY HUNDRED REVIEWS (Plus two!)! THANK YOU ALL! **__I think you deserve something . . . what would you like? (I'm serious, people. What would you like me to do for you?)_

_Did anyone notice that I changed how I wrote the date when they got into Amestris? Instead of December 25, 1916 I wrote 25 December, 1916. I mean, they probably write their dates different than we do anyways, right?_

_Anyhow. Enough rambling. You probably want to read this chapter . . . so do so._

_**If you want the first part of this chapter to make sense, go back and reread chapter 14! I changed their conversation around a bit!**_

-o-O-o-

_**September 10, 2011**_

Both Ed and Al were quite happy when they learned that they would be having lunch with the Dallas family. They had wanted to talk with Karmyn for a while, now they would finally be able to.

The plan was that they would return to the lab after they ate. There were a few loose ends to tie up before they could get home, and they were eager to do so.

The three teens sat at one table while the adults sat at another one nearby. Both were having their own conversations, neither was paying any attention to the other.

For the first time since the previous week, the Elric brothers and Karmyn felt completely at ease with each other. There was no awkward avoiding meeting the other person's eye or half-hearted attempts to start a conversation. Everything just came naturally, much to both parties' relief.

". . . And you didn't tell me?"

They had just told her about the deal that they had made with their father. Both Ed and Al had agreed to tell her as soon as possible, which was now.

"We couldn't," Al explained, trying to earn her trust back, "If we had, we wouldn't have been able to be talking like this right now!"

"Well, I guess it makes sense," she admitted. "Okay, fine. But I appreciate you sticking up for me like that."

"I guess Brother and I both felt the same way as you did. You're pretty fun to be around, and it's the first time we've really had a friend that knows as much about chemistry as we do."

Ed silently agreed, observing the conversation that was taking place in front of him.

"It's the first time you've really had a friend that's biologically your age," Karmyn corrected, "Other than Winry or . . ." Karmyn paused. "Do you know a guy by the name of Ling?"

"Oh, Ling Yao?" Ed joined their conversation, tired of being left out. "Yeah, we know him. He's probably the emperor of Xing by now," he said.

"But . . . how do you know him? I mean, Brotherhood didn't happen, did it? So why-?"

"Actually," he said, interrupting, "It did. Neither the anime nor the manga got the story correct. Brotherhood depicts most of it. Only, when I went to get Al back, I didn't get my arm back or give up my alchemy, neither did we end up back in Amestris. We ended up on this side of the gate. We were associated with the Thule Society for a while, but they never were able to get to Shamballa. The anime also got our appearances right, though . . ." he said, referring to Al's darker hair and grey eyes.

"Meaning that Brother never did get the growth spurt that he did in Brotherhood," Al said jokingly. Ed seethed at him, but managed to prevent himself from short-ranting in the restaurant.

"Odd," was Karmyn's response to that. "Anyways, as I was saying, it's the first time you've really had a friend that's your age, biologically speaking. You were mostly friends with adults, weren't you? I don't remember you having very many friends that were as young as you were . . ."

"We didn't have time," Ed interjected, defending himself. "We were always moving, so we never really had a chance to get to know people."

"You've known me for a week. Surely you've spent that much time in some places. I think you just didn't want to make friends," she told him confidently.

_Damn, she's right;_ Ed thought sullenly, _I hate that._

Al laughed, knowing what his brother was thinking. "You may be right about that. Brother never really was a social person!"

"I could tell!"

"Okay, okay, enough about me," Ed grumbled, "What about _you_?"

"Me?" Karmyn asked, "What about me?"

"Well," he started, "Where did you pull all those theories from? I mean, they're not something that someone could come up with on the fly!" _I've been here for nearly a century and I hadn't thought of that,_ he added mentally,_ yet she's lived for seventeen years, and only knew this stuff as fiction until recently! How-?_

"Uhm, well . . . about that . . . I kinda did."

"You're kidding me!" he nearly screamed.

"Brother, I don't think she is," Al said, trying to placate his worked-up brother.

"I'm dead serious," she said calmly, "When I found that the Philosopher's Stone was real, these thought just came into my head. I remembered instances from the series and connected those to events that actually happened. One though led to another, and suddenly I understood almost everything. I combined both the Original Anime and Brotherhood to come up with the Gate/No Gate theory, and just used what I already knew for the one about the reverse transmutation circle . . ."

Bot Ed and Al were staring at her as if she had two heads.

"Sorry- am I talking too much?"

"You're not even _from_ our side of the Gate, and yet you've come to so many conclusions about alchemy and the Gate and the Philosopher's Stone. How?" Al asked her, somewhat bewildered.

_My thoughts exactly,_ Ed agreed.

"Probably because I wasn't living it," was her answer. "I could look at these little instances and connect them and all that because I wasn't running away from them and fighting for my life. You two were a bit distracted to be thinking about the truth behind what was trying to kill you."

The elder boy laughed, surprised at her reasoning. "True. That is too true."

"So- when are you planning on going back?"

"Soon," Alphonse said, "We've waited for ninety years. We really don't want to have to wait for much longer."

Karmyn sighed. "I wish I could come with you," she said wistfully. The Elrics were shocked.

_Really?_ Al wondered, _why would she? She already has everything she needs here!_

"You can't." Ed's voice was hard. He didn't want her to go. She didn't understand what it was really like. _Besides,_ he thought, _That Stone is way too small. I don't know if it would support three people._

"Why not?" she asked, "I've always wanted to!"

"Just _don't_. You can't come with us. You shouldn't even think about it!" Ed snapped, trying to get her to understand what he felt.

Karmyn huffed, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. "Fine," she said.

A few minutes later, both Marie and Hohenheim stopped by their table.

"It's about time we get going," Marie told them, "We've already paid the bill, so let's get back."

"Okay!" Karmyn said, jumping to her feet. The Elrics quickly followed suit. Al was relieved that they had come along at that moment. It had been starting to get awkward.

A few minutes later, that fell behind them, and they were all talking like they had been. The drive back to the lab passed quickly, and soon enough everyone was back threading their way through the labyrinth of passageways.

Marie and Hohenheim broke off from the trio of friends to tell the office people that they were back. Meanwhile, Ed, Al and Karmyn continued on their way down to the lab. They were in sight of the door when Karmyn halted.

Both the Elrics were confused. _Why did she stop like that?_

"What?" Al asked, "What's wrong?"

"Look," she pointed out, "The door's ajar. I swear I closed it when we left for lunch."

"Maybe it didn't close properly," he suggested to her, trying to get her not to worry.

"It's possible," she told him, "But I don't think that's the case . . . I didn't tell you that as you were celebrating, I saw a shadow outside the door, looking in. I don't know how much he saw, but . . ."

_A shadow? Huh? _Ed was wondering what she was talking about when a figure burst out of the room. _Oh._

"Stop! Thief!" Karmyn yelled, running down the hall after him.

"Karmyn, wait!" Ed yelled, him and Al chasing them. _Does she not know how dangerous it is?_

"He's got the effing Philosopher's Stone! I need to get it back! You two go and get your dad and my mom!"

"Are you sure you can handle him alone?" Alphonse called to her, concerned.

"I can damn well try!" She yelled before turning a corner.

The Elrics slowed down until they stood still, letting them get out of their sight.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Edward said to Al, who nodded in agreement.

"I'm not sure that she can handle him on her own," he told his brother with worry evident in his voice. Ed turned to look at him before speaking again.

"Let's go!"

"Huh?"

"We need to get Father and Ms. Dallas! Come on!"

The two boys ran back through the halls to the lab room, only to find Marie and Hohenheim approaching from the other side.

"Dad!" Alphonse yelled, getting their attention.

"Al?"

"There was a thief!" he continued, slightly out of breath. "He got the Stone! Karmyn's chasing him now!"

"What?" Marie asked in shock. "Karmyn is? How does she think she's going to stop him? She's not strong enough!"

"Our concern exactly," Edward stated. "Come on, I think I know where they are."

The group ran together down the various whitewashed halls. When they turned down one last corner, they could finally see Karmyn standing in the entrance of a perpendicular hall. She looked over and saw them, yelling "Security! He's over here, and he's got the Element 116!"

Ed smiled at her bluff as he heard a muffled response from the thief. _She's got brains, I can give her that. _

He and Al had just reached the intersection when the thief lunged for Karmyn's neck. Al was going to call out to her, but before he could do that she ducked. The two boys looked on as she caught the falling object and dove between the man's legs. When he overshot and lost his balance, they reached forward to catch him and prevent him from getting away.

"Safe!" Karmyn yelled, coming to a stop. She turned around and faced the brothers, holding the stone up in her hand, grinning like a madwoman.

"How-" Ed asked, slightly disbelieving.

"Just a little bit of trickery," Karmyn said, brushing off his question. _That's getting really annoying_, Ed thought as she turned back to the thief. "Let's get this guy taken care of," she said, glaring down at the man. "And I think that I'll be holding onto the stone tonight, just in case any more numbskulls get the idea to try this."

_Good idea,_ Al mentally agreed. _We don't want to have to lose it when we've come this far!_

-o-O-o-

_**September 14, 2011**_

"Al," Edward said, "Why are we doing this again?"

"Because we've spent the entire day in our dark, cold library poring over dusty old books, and it's time for us to get away," the younger Elric countered. "Come on, Brother! How long has it been since we truly got to just hang out and have fun?"

Ed contemplated his brother's reasoning. "Good point," he told him.

The two of them had skipped school that day, instead choosing to do more research. They were planning on opening the Gate that night, and they wanted to be ready. However, as the time got closer to when they would usually get out of school, Alphonse had dragged Ed away from his research and out of the house.

Thus, he found himself standing at the edge of school grounds, waiting for class to be dismissed. As he and his brother waited, he shifted from foot to foot, restless from sitting in the same spot the entire day.

Finally, the school began to disgorge its inhabitants. The Elrics scanned the crowds thoroughly, searching for a certain face. When they found her, they watched as she placed her iPod earbuds in her ears and walked towards the buses. Then she stopped. They waited patiently as she turned to walk towards them. Ed stopped shifting from foot to foot, placing them both firmly on the ground.

When she was in earshot, she ripped an earbud out. "What the hell are you doing here?" she hissed, "Do you know how much trouble you'll be in if you get caught?"

Ed smirked on the inside, deciding that he would have a little fun with her. He shrugged. "Then we just won't get caught," he told her offhandedly.

"That still doesn't answer my question!" she exclaimed, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Oh, man this was fun.

"We figured that we could hang out for a little bit," Al explained, "Seeing as we're- Oh, hi Katherine!"

_Nice, Al, go and destroy my fun,_ Ed thought as Karmyn turned. "Hey, Kat," she greeted her friend.

"Hey, Karmyn. Al? Will? What're you doing here? I thought you were out today," she said, voicing the same question that her friend had, albeit in a politer tone. It took Ed a minute to remember that 'Will' was actually him.

"Yeah, sorry. We had to . . . visit our grandmother today! We just got back," Al lied as Karmyn held back a snort. _Could you be any more convincing? _Ed though sarcastically.

"Oh, okay!" Katherine said. Both Ed and Al got the idea that she wasn't as bright as she seemed. . .

"We were just about to go and hang out for a bit," Karmyn told her best friend. "You want to come with us?"

Katherine's gaze shifted from Karmyn, to the Elrics, and back again. Al bit back a laugh. She still thought that Karmyn and Ed had been dating! The situation was almost too funny.

"Sure! Where are we going?" Katherine asked.

Placing her iPod back in her pocket, Karmyn turned to the Elrics. "I dunno. Where are we going?"

Ed shrugged. They really hadn't planned out this far ahead. "We were just going to wander around downtown for a bit. Is that okay with you?"

"Sounds good," she said amiably.

Together, the four friends walked away from the school grounds.

-o-

Three hours passed before they all went their separate ways. Katherine left first, her house being the closest to where they were at that point in time. As soon as she left, the others relaxed considerably.

"Ah, man. I didn't realize how difficult it was to keep calling you Willard and Alfred," Karmyn remarked as soon as Katherine was out of earshot.

"I noticed," Ed commented dryly. She had paused before saying his name every single time. "Do you still have it?"

She looked confused, but then she pulled the Stone out of her pocket. "Here it is," she said, showing it to the boys, "I haven't let it out of my sight."

"Good."

"I can't believe we're finally going back," Alphonse sighed, looking up at the sky. "It's been so long- I had almost given up hope!" He was so happy- he was almost singing inside!

"But you didn't," Karmyn offered, "And look where it got you!"

Al smiled at her. "Yeah. Look where we are now." _Can you see us Mom? Can you see us?_ He thought, looking up at the sky. "Look where we are now."

The three of them were silent for another minute. Then Karmyn broke through his reverie.

"Well, yeah," Ed told her in a _no duh_ tone, "You have the stone, correct?"

She grinned, holding the said item up between her thumb and forefinger. "Yup!" She tossed it in the air like one would a coin before catching it. "See yah!"

Watching her retreating back, he commented to his brother, "She can be so annoying sometimes," shaking his head slowly.

"I don't think so," Al disagreed as they began the walk home. "I think she's actually really nice. And helpful," he added.

"Nice and helpful, but annoying sometimes," Ed consented.

"If you say so, Brother."

Ed yawned, leaning back and stretching. "Now come on, Al. We still have some research to finish! Race you!"

"Don't remind me," Alphonse muttered, taking off after his brother.

-o-O-o-

_Ding~dong~._

The Elrics were so deeply engrossed in preparing for the journey back that they didn't hear the doorbell ring. A few minutes later, Hohenheim spoke.

"Didn't the doorbell ring a few minutes ago?"

"CRAP!" Ed yelled, jumping to his feet. "I'll get it!" He raced up the stairs from the basement, dashing through the house. Finally, he reached the front door and wrenched it open. "Sorry about that," he apologized to the people outside, "We were kind of caught up in what we were doing."

Karmyn (for that's who it was) smiled at him. "It's okay. I thought that may be the case. I know how you get."

_Huh? How . . . oh, yeah. Oops._ "Oh, right. Forgot . . ." he said sheepishly.

When Karmyn and her mother were inside, Ed began to lead them to where the rest of his family was working. "This way," he told them, motioning with his hand. He led them down the stairs and into the basement.

Karmyn sneezed when they arrived. "Sorry," she muttered. "Stupid dust . . ."

"Did you bring it?" Al asked her eagerly, although he knew it was a stupid question.

Nodding, she pulled the crimson pebble-sized rock out of her pocket, holding it up for them to see once again. She handed it to Ed.

Ed took it, tossing it up and down a couple times. "Heh. We're gonna do it. We're going to get home!" he stated to no one in particular.

"That _was_ the idea," Karmyn told him. _Well duh,_ he thought, rolling his eyes at her. She laughed.

"Hey, Karmyn, does this circle look right?" Al broke in, holding up a piece of paper. He had no idea why he was asking her. For some reason, he just did. Maybe it was to make her feel included? He handed her the piece of paper and watched as she looked it over.

_She'll probably just say that it's good, and that will be that_, he thought, _but then again . . . maybe not_, he added thinking back to her actions a few days ago.

"You should probably draw the letters backwards as well. You've written the words backwards, but flipping the letters would probably give you a higher chance of success," she said, startling him. He looked at her, surprised.

"How do you know this? You've never even done a simple transmutation, let alone a backwards human transmutation . . ." he trailed off as he finished his sentence. He was thoroughly perplexed.

"I wasted a week of my summer studying these matrixes," Karmyn told him, "And I still thought they were fiction. I'm hopeless."

"You didn't waste that week. Look, you were able to help us!" he protested, getting over his shock.

"I know that _now_. Anyways, just flip the letters."

"All set?" Al looked up to see Ed looking on what they were doing.

"Yep!" he confirmed.

"Right. I've got the chalk. Would you like to help us, Karmyn?" It was the least they could do for her. She had done so much- they could let her help them draw the circle.

"I- I-" she stuttered, and then gave up. "Sure," she told him, accepting the piece of chalk.

-o-

As they drew the circle, the Elrics got even more excited. Finally, it was complete. Karmyn went over to stand with her mother as they inspected the circle once more; making sure that everything was perfect.

Slowly, they stepped out inter the center. Edward had the Stone in his left hand. "Are you ready, Al?" he whispered to his brother. Al nodded.

"Let's do this thing."

They exchanged looks with Hohenheim, knowing that they would most likely never see one another again. When they turned back to the circle, they glanced at each other. "Ready?" Al asked.

"Yeah."

They raised their hands to start the transmutation. They had just moved to clap them when they heard a voice yell out, "Wait!"

They looked over and watched in horror as Karmyn ran towards them. "Stop!" she cried.

"Karmyn, wait- NO!" Ed screamed; unable to stop his hands fast enough to halt the transmutation. _Clap. _Both the Elrics looked on in horror as her foot landed inside the circle.

The two boys waited with heavy hearts as the transmutation completed, sending them through the Portal of Truth. The two were separated, but their conversations with Truth went very much the same:

Truth: "You again."

Elric: "Yes."

Truth: "I know why you're here. You may pass."

Elric: "Really? No tricky riddles or tests?"

Truth: "If you really must know, I'm quite busy with the others at the moment. You have payment in the stone. Now go."

Elric: "Karmyn?"

Truth: "Yes. It's none of your business. Just go."

They then passed through the Gate once more, the final leg of their journey home.

-o-O-o-

_**25 December, 1916**_

The two boys awoke in the underground cavern beneath Central City. Under other circumstances, they would have been positively thrilled. However, other thoughts plagued their heads.

"Brother?" Al asked, "Do you think she's alright? Karmyn, I mean?"

"That idiot," Edward fumed, "What was she thinking? She knew what would happen if she got caught!"

As Ed continued going on about how stupid Karmyn had been, Al observed his surroundings. He recognized the cavern from the original anime. The golden ballroom. But- he had never seen it in person before. Why were they here? Looking around, his gaze landed on a small brown square about two feet away from him. Picking it up, he placed it in the pocket of his pants.

Suddenly, there was a small sound from behind the two boys. Whirling around, they found Karmyn lying unconscious.

"Karmyn!" Alphonse cried.

"So she did make it through . . . It doesn't look like Truth took any body parts . . ." Ed noted.

Karmyn moaned. "No- Mom. Mom!"

The Elrics waited for her to wake up. Fifteen minutes passed, and they were starting to worry.

"Do you think she's okay, Brother?"

"I don't know- she's been like that for a while . . ."

Just then, her eyelids flickered. She blinked a few times before keeping them open.

"Ah! Look, Brother! She's awake!" Al said in excitement

"Uhn," she said, attempting to sit up. "Where . . . am I?"

"Karmyn, we're . . . we're on the other side of the Gate," he explained.

"The other . . . side? But . . . I wasn't . . . going to make it. Not enough . . . power in the . . . Stone. I had no . . . Gate . . ."

The Elrics couldn't quite understand her choppy sentence. _Wasn't going to make it? Not enough power? No Gate? Then how is she here?_ Ed wondered. Al was thinking along the same lines.

"No, NO! This can't be happening!" she cried, sitting bolt upright. The two boys grew more worried. What was it that they were missing?

"Karmyn, are you alright?" Al asked, concerned.

"No! No, I'm not alright that son of a BITCH!" she screamed. It was then that they knew that something was _really_ wrong. In all the time that they had known her, she had never sworn like that. She even went as far as saying 'effing' instead of the real word . . .

"Karmyn?" It was Ed this time. He was curious as to what had gotten her so worked up.

"I'm gonna KILL that guy! Truth, you BASTARD!" With that outburst, she broke into tears. Alphonse looked at Ed. She had never cried in front of them. Even when she had her panic attack she hadn't let herself cry. They watched helplessly as large sobs wracked through her body, causing her to shake.

"Karmyn, what happened?" Al asked, determined to get to the bottom of it.

"He . . ." she gasped for air, hiccupping a little. "He . . . took my . . . he took Mom!" She fell silent as another round of tears streamed down her face. She was crying rather loudly, her face hidden between her knees and her arms.

_It took Marie? What? She got caught in the circle as well?_

"Karmyn," Ed said gently, but firmly, "Calm down and tell us exactly what happened."

Karmyn sat up, breathing deeply to control her sobs. She wiped her eyes with her hands before speaking. Her voice was shaky. "I'm sorry, it was all my fault . . . with the wallet. But it held . . . everything. My credit cards, my school ID, even my driver's license! I . . . wasn't able to stop in time . . . and stepped in the circle by accident. I tried to . . . get out, but I couldn't . . . move! I saw my mom try to grab me, but . . . then I was out. The creepy tentacles . . . dragged me to see Truth . . . where I gave up my share of the power in the Stone . . . to get you two back . . . I had no Gate, so Truth said that I would stay with him . . . for all eternity. And then . . . and then . . ."

She nearly started sobbing again, but both Ed and Al noticed that she refrained from doing so.

"And then Truth . . . he took the form of my mom . . . and said that my toll was . . . paid . . . not . . . by me . . . but by . . . someone . . . else. I remembered . . . how he took . . . your arm . . . Ed . . . he took . . . he took Mom!"

With that, she fell back into her fit of tears.

"There . . . has to be some way . . . to get her back! You . . . searched for . . . the Philosopher's Stone! We could . . . we could . . . somehow . . ."

Ed was enraged at what she was saying. This wasn't Karmyn. She knew what the Stone in Amestris entailed. Unable to contain his anger, he slapped her.

_Smack!_

"Brother!" Al protested. _Can't you see that she's hurting? Why'd you do that? _He asked silently.

"Shut it, Al. She isn't in her right mind at the moment." Turning to Karmyn, he addressed her. "You forget, Karmyn, that we're in Amestris now. The stone isn't something made cleanly by bashing two atoms together. Here, it's still made of human lives, human souls. We went through hell chasing that thing, and you know it. If you were thinking straight, you wouldn't even suggest it."

"Brother, wait! You're being too harsh!"

Ed ignored his sibling. "It's too late. What's done is done, and there's no changing the past. We tried that once, and look where it got us. We can only change the future, and move forward. I once told someone, 'You have two good legs. Use them.' I now say the same to you. Stand up, move on, there's no going back," he said, quoting what he had told someone nearly a century (or was it only a couple of years) ago.

Karmyn's tears slowed. "What you said to Rose, after the Liore incident," she recalled. She laughed weakly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have . . . I don't know what came over me." She looked up at Ed before glancing over towards Al, who was still on the ground next to her. "I'm sorry. I'm so . . . very . . . sorry . . ."

"Besides," Al spoke up. "Haven't you noticed? You're speaking flawless Amestrian," he pointed out, having noticed it a few minutes ago. It was odd . . . but he hoped that it would cheer her up a little bit.

She sniffed. "What?" she asked, confused.

"Say something in English," he prodded.

"_But I . . . am speaking . . . in English,"_ she said. _"Wait . . . this is different . . . than what I was speaking . . . before!"_

"_Yes,"_ Al pointed out, switching to English as well, _"That's because you were just speaking Amestrian! Now say something like you had been!"_

"That is so weird . . . I've never even heard this language before, and yet I can speak it like a natural," she said through a subdued sob.

"I think," Edward said, looking down at the two after coming to a conclusion, "That your mother paid for a little bit more than your passage over here."

"A little . . . bit more, huh? My lifespan as well. . . I hope . . . otherwise I'm in for a real short trip. . ." Karmyn muttered, almost as if speaking to herself.

"Huh?"

"My lifespan . . . on this side of the Gate . . . if I age . . . the way I have been . . . would be . . . eight months . . ."

_Oh, right,_ Al thought, _how could we have forgotten? _"Hey, Karmyn- you're not crying as much anymore," he observed, trying to take attention away from the grave matter.

"Yeah, I think Ed . . . knocked some sense into me," she said. "What he said was right . . . I was just acting like a spoiled brat."

"Not really," he disagreed, "I mean, that's basically what we were like when our mom died . . ."

"Anyways," Ed announced, turning the subject away from them and their mother, "We should probably think about getting aboveground."

-o-

The three of them steadily made their way to the surface, none of them really talking any. Every now and then Karmyn had a delayed sniffle or gasp of air from her fit a while earlier, but other than that it was mostly silent.

They were about to step out into Central when Al realized something important. "Wait," he said, earning looks from his brother and friend.

"Al?" Karmyn asked weakly, "What is it?"

"It's just that Brother and I are back to our original appearances . . . the dye and contacts are gone. They probably got washed out as we were pulled through the Gate. Most of Central thinks we're dead. It would cause too much trouble if we just went up there as we are now."

Ed nodded. "That makes sense . . ." He thought quickly for a minute. "Karmyn, give me your jacket." To his surprise, Karmyn didn't say anything- she merely took her jacket off and held it out to him.

"Brother, what are you doing?" Al asked him, not quite understanding what Ed was doing as he removed his shirt and put on the jacket. _It fits almost perfectly,_ he noted, amused that Karmyn and his brother were the same size.

As if he was answering the question, Ed gleefully clapped his hands and transmuted the fabric of his shirt into a type of hat. Handing it to Al, he said "You would not believe how good it feels to do that again."

_Oh, that's what he was doing,_ he realized. He put the hat over his head, tucking his long hair up into it. Ed pulled the hood of the jacket up and tugged it down over his face. Karmyn just stood and watched. Nobody would recognize her, as she had never been seen by anyone in Amestris before.

Together, the three of them stepped out into the late afternoon sunlight.

There was snow on the ground, and the streets were decorated in lights. Al smiled. "Hey, Brother! It must be near Christmas!"

"No, Al, I think it _is_ Christmas. Look- there aren't any cars in front of HQ."

_It would make sense,_ Al thought, doing the math in his head. _We left the day after my birthday . . . the thirtieth of January . . . if one hundred years is a year, and we spent ninety years there, then that would be ninety percent of three hundred sixty-five days . . . that would be three hundred twenty-nine days . . . which would make it the twenty-fifth of December! _He smiled at the thought. There wasn't a better present to be had! _(A/N- I KNOW that they defeat Father in the summer . . . I'm gonna explain that bit later . . .)_

Karmyn's soft voice broke through his thoughts. "Ed, do you have any Cens on you?" _Why would she need Cens?_

"A few," Ed replied, "I've kept them throughout the ninety years that I've been on your side of the Gate. Why?"

"There . . . there's a pay phone over there," she sniffed, pointing it out. "She needs . . . to know . . ."

"Karmyn- what?" Ed was thoroughly confused by her cryptic words, Al could tell.

"Winry . . ."

Al understood what she was trying to say. "Brother," he said, "I think she's saying that you need to call Winry. She needs to know that we're back. Besides, you can wish her a merry Christmas."

Edward blanched. "Are you sure? I mean-"

"Ed," Karmyn said his name softly but firmly. "Do it."

_Well, I guess she can't hit me with a wrench over the phone, can she?_ It would surprise him if she could.

Looking between his younger brother and his grieving friend, he sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll do it. Let's go."

The three of them walked down the street towards the pay phone. Ed placed the coins in the slot, dialing Winry's number.

Al looked behind them, noticing that Karmyn was hanging back. He didn't want her to feel left out- he reached out and grabbed her wrist, tugging her towards them.

The phone was picked up after the third ring. "Hello, Rockbell Automail, Winry speaking. How can I help you today?"

Ed swallowed nervously, shuffling his feet. He hadn't heard that voice in nearly a century. What should he say? What _could_ he say? As he was debating this, he felt a poke at his side. He looked over to see Karmyn, who had nudged him with her elbow. He saw her nod slightly. He took a deep breath.

His heart was in his throat when he finally spoke. "Uhm, hi. I . . ." he sighed. "Merry Christmas, Winry."

-o-O-o-

_And there you have it! Almost 6,000 words. Sorry for being vague in the middle there, but . . . maybe I'll go back and fix it at some point._

_Next chapter: We finally get to hear the phone conversation! Are you excited?_


	21. 25 December, 1916 Cont

_Okay, finally. We're back to story progression! Are you happy now?_

_Not much more to say here- Let's get on with the story._

-o-O-o-

**25 December, 1916**

"Uhm, hi. I . . ." he sighed. "Merry Christmas, Winry."

"E- Edward?"

"Yeah."

The booth fell silent; neither ends of the line talking. A tension hung in the air. In her head, Karmyn slowly began to count down. _Five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . one . . ._

"You IDIOT!" A loud scream sounded over the phone. Startled, Ed jumped, hitting his head against the phone booth. Both Karmyn and Al began to chuckle, earning themselves a harsh golden-eyed glare.

"Winry," he said, trying to placate the angry female.

"WHERE WERE YOU? EVERYONE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!"

"Winry, I-"

"You've been missing for the greater part of a YEAR, and then you suddenly just CALL me as if it was NOTHING!"

"Winry, please!"

"But I'm glad you're alright," she said softly with a hint of tears in her voice.

The change in tone surprised the trio in the booth at Central. _How can someone have mood swings that great?_ Karmyn wondered. _I mean, I saw it in the animes, but . . . wow._

"Yeah," Ed told her. "I am too. But-"

"Did you break my automail again?" Winry asked accusingly.

"Well-" Ed shuffled his feet once more.

"DID YOU?"

"More like . . . I no longer have it . . ." he explained.

"Oh! Did you get your limbs back?" she asked excitingly.

Ed sighed. "I didn't say that, either . . ."

"Oh," came the dejected response. "When will you be coming by?" she asked.

"I don't know. I need to report back to Central first . . . I'll let you know."

"Okay. Oh, and Ed?"

"Yes?"

"If Al's there, could I talk to him for a minute?"

"Oh, yeah. Sure." He quickly handed the phone to Al, who was already moving to take it, having overheard the conversation. Once the phone was passed over, he took Al's place next to Karmyn.

"I was wrong," he muttered, rubbing his head. "She _can_ throw a wrench through a telephone."

Karmyn laughed quietly once again. "Don't tell her that- then you'll never be safe!" she whispered back to him.

"Good idea."

Alphonse then hung up the phone and turned back to them. "Alright," he said, "What now?"

"We should probably find a place to stay for the night. It's getting kind of late," Edward pointed out. Karmyn agreed with that statement, but-

"Uhm, guys? Do you think maybe- I mean, we don't have anything other than what we're wearing right now," Karmyn said, "We should probably, you know, get some stuff."

Both Elrics realized the truth in her words. "Yeah," Ed said, "Good point. Alright. Anyways, you would attract too much attention in what you're wearing now."

"No more attention than what you got, wandering around in that old getup of yours," Karmyn shot back.

"Hey! That was stylish!" he protested.

_You've got a twisted sense of style,_ she thought. Al interrupted.

"Okay, fine! We need to go shopping!" he said, and then a thought hit him. "How much money do we have?" he asked uncertainly.

Ed dug around in his pockets while Al did the same. Edward managed to pull up twenty Cens, while Al fished out ten. The three of them stared down at the money for a few minutes before Karmyn sighed exasperatedly.

"Oh, geez. Of course you would only have thirty dolla-Cens!" she corrected herself, forgetting that she was no longer in the US. _Scratch that,_ she thought, _no longer in that dimension._ "I don't know how much things cost here, but I'm pretty sure that thirty Cens won't cover it." The looks on their faces told her that she was right. _Oh, crap. We're in trouble now . . ._

"Hey, Brother? Do you think that Mrs. Hughes still lives here?" Al asked hesitantly. Edward thought for a minute.

"It's possible, but are you sure you want to reveal our identities quite yet?"

"I don't know, but-"

"But you're gonna have to at some point," Karmyn broke in. "And why not start with her? I think she'd be very pleased to know that you're back."

The Elrics jumped, once again forgetting that she knew everything about this world. Slowly, Al nodded.

"Yeah, I think you're right," he said. "Come on, Brother. It's the best chance we've got."

"Okay," Ed relented. "Let's go. It isn't too far from here."

Karmyn followed the two boys down the street, not quite knowing where she was going. She looked around amazed at the streets she was walking on. She still couldn't quite believe that she was in Amestris. As much as she was excited, she was also depressed. She had lost her mother in order to be here. She had lost everything that she had ever known in order to be here. _She_ was the person who had spent her entire life in front of the door. Now that she was on the other side, she had no clue as to what to do.

Seeing that she had fallen behind, she jogged to catch up with her two friends.

-o-O-o-

Ten minutes later, they were standing in front of the Hughes household, yet another place that Karmyn had once thought of as purely fiction. She watched as Edward rang the doorbell, and waited somewhat anxiously for someone to answer. Once again, she hung behind the Elrics, uncomfortable in her new surroundings.

The door opened.

"Hello? Who is it?" A woman with cropped light-brown hair and green eyes looked out at them. "Oh, hello. What are your names?" In response to this, Karmyn watched Ed move the hood of his (her) jacket back slowly, looking up at Gracia with his unmistakable golden eyes. She gasped. "Oh! You- you can come right in." Karmyn could tell that she was slightly disgruntled. Who wouldn't be?

Gracia sat the three of them down on the couch before going to the kitchen to retrieve some cookies that she had made earlier that day. She set them down on the coffee table before sitting down across from the three teens.

"Well," she started, "That certainly gave me a surprise, Edward."

"Sorry," he told her, munching on a cookie. "We . . . just got back, so we don't really want anyone to know we're here quite yet," he said.

"What he means is that he didn't think to bring more money with him when he left, so we didn't have enough for a hotel room," Karmyn muttered under her breath so that Gracia wouldn't hear.

"It was quite a shock," she explained, "Considering that I went to the funeral they held for you almost a year ago. Who are your companions?"

"Ms. Hughes! It's me, Alphonse!"

"Al? So you did get your body back! I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks," he told her.

"And you?" she asked Karmyn. Karmyn panicked. What could she say? She couldn't very well say that she was from an alternate dimension and had come back through the Gate with the Elrics, could she? She glanced wide-eyed at the Elrics, silently imploring them for help. Ed stepped in.

"This is Karmyn. Karmyn Dallas. She helped us get back here."

"Pleased to meet you, Karmyn."

"Pleased to meet you too, Ms. Hughes," she said back.

"Gracia," was the correction she was given.

Just then, a small four-year-old looked around the corner of the door leading to the rest of the house. "Mommy? I heard voices," she said curiously.

"Oh, Elicia dear, it's Edward and Alphonse. You remember them, right?"

"Yes!" came the small cry, and the girl came running over. "Ed! Al!"

Karmyn smiled at the reunion. Elicia was even cuter in person than she was in the anime! Suddenly, the little girl turned to her. Crouching down next to her, she spoke.

"Hi," she told her, "I'm Karmyn."

"Kar-myn?" Elicia asked, sounding out the word. "Big Sister!"

Looking up, Karmyn saw that Gracia was smiling. _I've never had a little sister before,_ she thought. "Yes," she told the girl. "Big Sister."

What she didn't see was that both Ed and Al were smiling at her as well.

-o-O-o-

It wasn't until late that night that the events of that day caught up to her. Lying on the bed in one of the extra rooms, she sobbed into her pillow. She mourned for everything that she had lost. Her mother. Her best friend. Her world.

Apparently, she was a little louder than she had anticipated. The door opened softly, and she sat upright, glancing at the clock. _Two in the morning,_ she realized. _Who could it be?_ She looked over to who was standing at the door.

With shock, she realized that it was Alphonse. "What are you doing here?" she asked blearily. "Why are you awake?"

Quietly, Al entered the room. "I could ask you the same question. I had to use the bathroom, and I heard you crying in here." He paused. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she started, "No . . . I will be? I don't know," she admitted.

"Karmyn" he said, "You know that we could try to get you home," he suggested. She shook her head no.

"Al. I know what happened when you were trying to get your body back. It's harder than it looks. Besides," she said, "I'd have to get back in less than a week, what with the time differences."

"I forgot about that," he said quietly.

Karmyn sobbed. "There's nothing for me back there now anyways. My mom's gone, my dad left, and I have no other family there. Mom sacrificed herself to send me here. I'm not about to let her efforts go to waste. This is my home now," was her firm resolve.

"Karmyn . . ."

"I'm gonna stick with you and Ed, alright? I think that's my best bet to surviving here. Besides," she added, "You're my friends."

Al smiled at her statement. "Alright. You get some sleep now, okay?" He yawned. "I think I'm gonna do the same. See you in the morning, Karmyn."

"Or, later today," she replied, pointing to the clock. Al laughed, and then left the room.

Two minutes later, Karmyn was fast asleep.

-o-O-o-

_Okay. That chapter done. I think that in the next chapter they might to and see Mustang . . . bwap bwap bwaaaap. As always, tell me what you think!_

_Reviews might help cheer Karmyn up a bit!_

_Sayonara!_


	22. 26 December, 1916

_Okay, new chapter. Again. :) I only got two reviews for the last one . . . have people abandoned me? :(_

_So, last chapter they met Gracia and Elicia, had a phone conversation with Winry, who managed to hurt Edward over the phone, and Al came into Karmyn's room at 2:00 am (because that isn't just totally creepy or anything) and comforted her . . . Well, let's see where this goes, shall we?_

_Oh, and I drew a crazy awesome picture of Karmyn. However, it's a future Karmyn that you're not quite acquainted with yet . . . but as soon as we get there, I'll post it on my deviantart account! ;P_

_I'm also thinking of changing the very first chapter- it doesn't fit where this story's gone . . . what do you think?_

_I changed my mouse cursor so that it flames. I can be Mustang every time I click!_

_Also, if you've been wondering why I don't do disclaimers, it's because you all know the truth and they're really, really annoying. I mean, DUH none of us own FMA! If we did, then our story would be a legit novel or addition to the manga. So zip it. As for owning OCs, it's illegal to own people in the United States anyhow, so there's no point. Got it? Good._

Now_ for the story!_

-o-O-o-

**26 December, 1916**

Karmyn awoke that morning to the sun streaming in through her window. Blinking to get the remainder of sleep out of her eyes, she looked around at her surroundings. _Where am I? _ She asked herself, _this isn't my room._

Suddenly, her memories of the events the day before came flooding back. Tears threatened to make an appearance once more, but she held them back. She though back to the conversation she had had earlier that morning (around two o' clock) with Al.

"_Mom sacrificed herself to send me here. I'm not about to let her efforts go to waste. This is my home now."_

"_I'm gonna stick with you and Ed, alright? I think that's my best bet to surviving here. Besides, you're my friends"_

That's it. She wasn't going to dwell on the past any longer. She had cried enough, and tears wouldn't get her too far in this new world. In fact, they would most likely get her killed. She sat up, looking towards the window. It wasn't early morning- the light was too bright. Looking up at the clock, she saw that it was around eleven. As she had fallen asleep in her clothes the night before, she stood up and walked out into the kitchen.

"Good morning," Gracia said as she entered the room.

"Morning," was her response. She took a seat at the kitchen table, and Gracia gave her a couple pancakes. "Where are Ed and Al?"

"I think Ed's taking a shower," Gracia told her, "And Al's in the living room playing with Elicia. She has a bunch of new toys, and she's really excited."

Karmyn smiled, wolfing down her pancakes. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until she started eating. When she finished, she picked up the plate and placed it in the sink, offering to help Gracia wash up.

"That's sweet of you, but I can do this myself. Thank you for offering," she politely turned her down. Not that Karmyn was complaining too much, but she hated being a burden to anyone.

"Alright," she said. Walking out of the kitchen, she had two choices. _Well,_ she thought, _considering I _really_ don't want to see Ed in the shower, I'll go join Al and Elicia,_ she decided through logic. Logic was a useful thing, really. It could solve almost anything.

When she entered the living room, she was greeted by a loud _whoosh_ as Elicia ran by with a toy bird _(A/N- It was going to be an airplane but then I thought- 'Well DUGH! They don't have airplanes in Amestris! So it's a bird. Live with it.)_. Looking around, she saw Al sitting in the middle of the floor building a tower out of a bunch of small building blocks.

"Big Sister!" Elicia called out upon seeing her, "Come play!"

Karmyn laughed, going to sit with Al, who was making the finishing touches on his building. "Morning," she told him as she sat down, admiring his structure.

"Morning," he returned. "Feeling better?"

She knew he was referring to the night before, or rather, earlier that morning. She nodded. "Yeah. I know what I have to do now."

"That always helps," he told her. "How do you like it?" he asked her, referring to his tower. Karmyn grinned.

"I can make mine taller," she teased him.

"You wanna bet?"

"Sure- I bet you my left sock that I can make my tower taller."

"You're on," he said, knocking his previous tower down so that they could start over.

"I wanna build a tower too," Elicia said, grabbing some blocks.

"Fine then," Al said. "On the count of three- One . . . two . . . THREE!"

Five minutes later, Edward walked into a curious scene. Two teenagers, one sixteen, the other seventeen duking it out over whose tower was taller and one four-year-old leisurely building her own.

"What's going on here?" he asked, cutting into the teens' argument.

"I bet that I could build a taller tower than Al. He accepted the challenge. Now he just won't admit that mine's taller," Karmyn explained.

"But it's not!" Al protested. "Mine clearly is!"

"And what do you gain by winning?" was Ed's next question.

"My left sock," Karmyn informed him matter-of-factly. He sighed. Slowly, he walked through the room until he reached his brother and his friend. Once he got there, he then knocked over both towers until there was nothing standing.

"There. Simple solution. Now they're the same height."

Both of them nodded. It was a stupid thing to get into a fight over anyways, even if it was just a friendly argument.

"Alright," he said, "Now that that's over, we'll be going into Central HQ later today, as much as I don't want to. We can't keep hiding forever."

Both Karmyn and Al saw the truth in his statement. They _couldn't_ keep hiding forever.

_Central Command, here we come._

-o-O-o-

In the time before they left, many events took place:

-Gracia gave Karmyn some of her old clothes that no longer fit her. Karmyn changed out of what she had been wearing, packing them away. She would request Mustang to burn them later.

-Edward found the materials needed to create his old black-red-and-silver ensemble. Karmyn simply looked at him and sighed.

-Alphonse got a haircut, now looking as he did in the end of Brotherhood, except for his grey eyes. Karmyn approved- long hair never really suited him all that well.

Finally, they were ready to go.

Saying good bye to Gracia and Elicia, the three of them left the building. They didn't bother hiding themselves as they walked to Central HQ. Instead, they strode with confidence. Many people turned to look at them, some stared. Karmyn could hear some snippets of their conversations.

"Edward . . ."

"Edward Elric!"

"The Fullmetal Alchemist!"

". . . he's back . . ."

"I thought he was dead!"

They acted as if they couldn't hear them as they approached the gate to HQ. Startled, the guards forgot to guard, allowing Fullmetal and his two companions to pass through. Ed marched up the steps, Karmyn and Alphonse following close behind. When they reached the doors, he paused to take a breath. Then, he flung the doors open.

_Slam_.

"ALRIGHT, WHERE IS HE?" he called out, scaring the bejeezubs out of the officers. First, the doors slammed open. Then, what appeared to be a ghost or a hallucination yelled for someone. This would make for an interesting story to tell when they got home . . .

"Edward?" A woman asked, approaching. "It's you, right?"

"Lieutenant Hawkeye!" Al exclaimed.

"Actually, it's Colonel Hawkeye now. We all got promoted four ranks after the events of the Promised Day . . . you're looking for General Mustang, correct?"

Karmyn was amazed. It was just like Riza Hawkeye to remain so calm in this situation. Ed and Al had reappeared after nearly a year of 'death,' Al had his body back and she acted as if hardly anything ever happened. _There was a reason she was one of my favorites,_ she thought.

"Yeah, where is that bastard?" Ed asked drawlingly. Karmyn could've facepalmed. It was one thing to call him a bastard in private, but when everyone could hear you . . . _Ed never learns,_ she realized for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"Brother," Al spoke, trying to get his sibling to step down a bit.

"It's alright, Al. You can all just follow me." She started walking away when she turned back to the small group. "I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't ask your name."

Karmyn smiled, hiding her nervousness. "Karmyn. Karmyn Dallas," she said, shaking the female Colonel's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Colonel Hawkeye."

"Likewise. Now then, follow me."

She led the three teens through the hallways of Central HQ. Although she had seen it in the anime, Karmyn didn't realize just how _huge_ Central actually was. It was almost as bad as the labyrinth inside the Boston Researcher's Lab. _No, _she told herself, _don't think of that. Think of now. I'm here now, not there._

They stopped before a large set of double doors. Not one for preamble, Edward marched forward and slammed this one open as well, just as he had the main doors out front.

"So, you're general now, eh?" he asked, looking around the large room. "Couldn't quite make it to the top, could you now?"

The tall black-haired man at the desk in the back of the room looked as if he had seen a ghost. Which, under some technicalities, he had. "Well if it isn't Fullmetal. I knew you'd be back," he smirked. "Then again, for all I knew, you might've never been gone- just hidden behind my paperwork," he suggested sardonically.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE COULD RIDE ON FLEAS?" Edward exploded. The General laughed.

"So it's really you. Welcome back. Don't expect any babying because you've been out for so long."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Ed told him.

"Hello, Mr. Mustang!" Alphonse called out.

"Oh, Al! So you managed to get your body back!" Mustang congratulated him. Looking past the Elrics, his gaze landed on Karmyn, who was still standing in the back. _(A/N- Oh, ho! This will be fun!)_

"And who's this lovely lady," he asked suavely. "Finally managed to find yourself a girlfriend, eh, Fullmetal?"

"What? No!" he said, shaking his head. "She's just a friend! She helped us get back! We wouldn't be here if it weren't for her!" he insisted.

"If you say so," Mustang relented. He turned his attention back on Karmyn. "So," he said smoothly, "Would you like to go to dinner sometime? Friday, maybe?"

Luckily, Karmyn was expecting this. When one watches two animes and reads a manga, they get to know the characters pretty well. "And your gloves work in the rain," she told him sarcastically. "I'm seventeen. That's just . . . no." she said shortly. Mustang's face fell, and his men laughed at him.

"Sir," Hawkeye said curtly, "Your manners," she prompted.

"Oh, right. How rude of me. Men?" He called out. Getting up from his desks, the officers lined up. Hawkeye joined them. When they were settled, he began introductions.

"You've already met Colonel Riza Hawkeye. Next we have Lieutenant Colonel Jean Havoc. Lieutenant Colonel Heymans Breda. First Lieutenant Kain Fuery. Chief Warrant Officer Vato Falman. And last but not least, our newest addition, Sergeant Major Robert Cross."

As he recited their names and titles, each man (and Hawkeye) stepped forward and saluted.

Karmyn was stunned. She blinked a few times, and then swallowed. Finally, she was able to speak.

"Dad?"

-o-O-o-

_Interesting development here, wouldn't you say? Hehehe . . . until next time!_

_Anyhow, I've come up with what I can do for you people- I can help _you_ make _your_ fanfiction stories better! I'll put a hint/tip/advice after every chapter for the next few updates or so. Alright?_

_First:_

_Your summaries. If you write something like 'I suck at summaries just read and review please!' as your summary, _nobody_ will read it. That is almost the worst thing you can do. On par with that is 'Story is better than summary, please read!' Sorry, but if you have to say that your story is better than your summary, it's most likely NOT._

_If you really can't do anything for your summary, just post an excerpt from your story. That works, and it's a whole lot better than the examples that I stated above. Trust me on this._

_And really- how hard is it to write 255 characters about your story? If you don't make the effort, it reflects what the rest of your writing is like. So please- _Make an effort. Not an excuse.

_Sayonara!_


	23. 26 December, 1916 Cont

_Okay, I wanted to let you know that I woke up this morning around 10:30 to approximately SIX or so reviews. It was the PERFECT start to the day!_

_And so now I'm updating again!_

_So . . . what the hell happened with the last chapter, huh? Well, you're about to find out . . ._

_Although I think the first bit goes a bit too fast._

-o-O-o-

**26 December, 1916**

"Dad?"

Karmyn stared at the last man in the row. Sergeant Major Robert Cross. _What the hell is he doing here?_ She wondered, _how-?_ The man looked puzzled. _Oh,_ she realized. _I'm still behind Alphonse. He can't see me._ Taking a deep breath, she stepped out into the open, where she could clearly be seen.

"Karmyn?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, _Dad_, it's me."

"But- you look so old!"

She sighed. "Dad, I'm seventeen. This is how I'm supposed to look," she said with false patience.

"But- but that's impossible! I only got here a week ago!" he protested.

"Dad." she said, "It's been two years since you _left_ us."

The two had been so caught up in their own banter that they hadn't noticed that the rest of the room had fallen silent. When they fell quiet, this silence was all-too-pronounced. Until, that is, it was broken.

"Wait, wait, wait- _Dad_?" Ed's voice shattered the stillness of the air.

"Yeah," Karmyn said. "Dad."

"But how-?" Alphonse asked, leaving the question hanging in the air.

"That's what I'd like to know," she muttered darkly. This was great. Just great. She had lost her mother the day before, and now she stumbles across her wayward father- in _another world?_ _Pack me up and send me to the loony bin, _she thought, _for I must be going crazy._

"I think that we all have some explaining to do," Mustang broke in, moving to close the large set of double doors. "And I think it needs to be done now. That's an order, Sergeant," he added.

The Sergeant sighed. "Yes, sir," he said, before beginning his story. "It was about a week ago. I had gone to the lab to drop something off for my wife. While I was there, she decided to show me the project that they had been working on for the past eight years. I leaned in closer to get a better look, when I suddenly blacked out and found myself lying on the streets of this city. A couple officers found me and dragged me here. When I explained that I didn't know where I was and I didn't have any papers with me, they gave me two choices- join the military or get out of the country. Considering that I didn't have any place to go, I joined the military. I served for a few years back home, so I was already used to the atmosphere. That was a week ago. I got assigned to General Mustang's squad, so here I am now. And then, Karmyn, you show up and tell me it's been two years."

"Because it has been!" Karmyn shot back.

"And, young lady, you are-?" Mustang prompted her.

"Karmyn Dallas. _I_ was told by my mom that my father had left us. That he was fed up with his chemistry-obsessed wife and daughter. Naturally, I've hated him for about two years now. And then I get caught up with Element 116 and the Elrics and trying to get them back home, succeed in doing so, losing my mother in the process, and then finding out that my father was _here_!"

"Is Marie doing okay?" Robert asked his daughter. Karmyn looked down at her feet.

"She sacrificed herself to save me. She's not with us anymore," she said sadly. She refused to cry. Her father fell silent.

"Why don't you share a last name?" Ed asked, somewhat confused. "I mean, he and you mother were married, right?"

"Mom was already the famous chemist Marie Dallas. They decided to give me her last name when I was born," Karmyn explained. "Although, there were times that I wish they hadn't . . ."

"So it's really been two years?" Robert asked sadly. She nodded.

"Yes. If you hadn't figured it out already, we're in an alternate dimension, Dad. One year here is equal to a hundred years in our dimension." She didn't say 'our side of the Gate.' Her father wouldn't understand what she meant. She had only gotten into FMA after he had 'left.'

"So . . . do you know how I got here?" he asked hopefully. He knew that his daughter had always been a little brighter than most other girls her age. He hoped that the same was still true.

Karmyn thought for a minute. She remembered something that her mother had said on the second day of school . . . it seemed like such a long time ago now. "Yes, I might," she said. "A few weeks ago, Mom said that some guy had disappeared. You story sounds very much the same as what happened then. At the time, we joked that the Gate took him . . . which now, I don't think was a joke. They were testing Element 116, which is the element that the Philosopher's Stone is composed of," she said for the benefit of the Amestrians in the room. "I don't want to go into the theory behind that at the moment. However, as they were testing it, the atoms were flying at sub-lightspeed. It is possible that one of those atoms collided with you as you stepped forward. The high amounts of energy were enough to grab you, pull you through the Gate, and land you here . . ."

According to the faces in the room, only Edward and Alphonse had followed what she was saying. Resting her forehead in her hand, she told them, "I'll write it out for you later. Consider it an unofficial report."

"I'll make it a special case," Mustang told her, "It's unusual for a civilian to write a report . . . but we may need the information. I'm still not sure where you're coming from, but I'll get Fullmetal to give me the rundown later."

"Yeah, right," Ed muttered.

"Colonel Hawkeye, if you could escort Miss Dallas and Alphonse here out, I need to talk to Fullmetal for a while."

"Yes, sir."

Both Al and Karmyn followed the woman out, leaving Ed in the room with Mustang.

-o-O-o-

Half an hour and at least five short rants later, Ed emerged. Karmyn and Al had been sitting on a bench just outside the room. When the doors swung open, they both stood up.

"Well, Al, looks like it's back to Briggs for us," he announced. "They've been having some problems with the Drachmans. They're looking for some extra support. We got back at just the right time, it seems . . ."

Karmyn shivered, thinking of the cold harsh whiteness that was the Briggs Mountains. She stopped, paused for a minute, and then turned to look at the two brothers. "Aren't you forgetting someone?" she asked them.

"What?" Ed. Al was looking at her knowingly.

"I'm coming with you!"

Ed looked at her. "Wouldn't you rather be trying to find a way to get home?" he asked her. She sighed.

"Al already knows the answer. There's nothing left for me back there anyways! This is where I live now. And I'm not about to just sit around and do nothing. I'm gonna be sticking with you guys from now on."

"You can't do that- it's too dangerous!"

"Yeah, danger really seems to follow you wherever you go, doesn't it. Don't try to dissuade me. I need something to do with my life. I can't keep thinking about the past, alright? Now shut up."

Edward sighed, and she knew that she had won. "When do we leave?" she asked.

"The day after tomorrow," was the short answer.

"Oh, Karmyn!" Al exclaimed covering his brother's silence and reaching into his pocket. "I kept forgetting. I found this lying on the ground when I arrived. I think it's yours," he said, pulling out the square brown object.

_My wallet,_ she realized, _the reason I'm in this big mess._ She reached out to take it. "Thank you," she told him.

"No problem."

They would be staying the next couple nights with Gracia and Elicia, and then it would be on the road. For some reason, Karmyn got a mix of excitement, anticipation, sadness and dread at the thought of it.

-o-O-o-

_And there it is. Off to Briggs! As always, let me know what you think._

_I'm not announcing what the pairings are, not quite yet. I'm also taking opinions on what they should be. I have an idea, but if most people want it the other way around, I can change it . . . maybe. Ah, well._

_And the writing tip:_

_Second_

_Paragraphs! People hate reading one big long block of text! You need to have paragraphs! Change paragraphs every time a different person speaks. Even if you only do that, it will help A LOT!_

_Sayonara!_


	24. 28 December, 1916

_Here I am . . . once again . . . with no life . . . and a new chapter! (At least someone gets something good out of this!_

_I think I told you in the last author's note that I had flame for a cursor, so that I was mustang? Well, scratch that. I'm actually Hawkeye. The flames stopped flaming, and left it really confuzzling because the cursor was off, so to click on something I couldn't actually click on it. Now I have a pistol as my mouse cursor. Therefore I am Hawkeye. I could've been Havoc, but the thought of having a cigarette as a cursor didn't exactly appeal to me . . . 8/_

_Thank you for all the reviews. My friends are jealous, although they disguise it as anger . . . YOU CAN'T FOOL ME ANYMORE, PEOPLES! I'M ONTO YOU!_

_It's thunderstorming! Boom! . . . I'm random . . ._

**Karmyn's Song: A Place In This World, by Taylor Swift. **_It fits perfectly, if you think about it. Lyrics at bottom of chappie!_

_But, anyways. Here you go._

-o-O-o-

**28 December, 1916**

The three teens stood on the doorstep of the Hughes residence, saying their goodbyes to both Gracia and Elicia. They had their things packed- a suitcase for each of them. They had gone shopping the day before, obtaining the necessities that they would need on their journey. Karmyn had her wallet in her pocket and her iPod in her case- her two last lifelines to the life that she had held before. As much as she was trying to throw her past away, she couldn't bring herself to dispose of the items. Her iPod still held all the music she had liked on her side of the Gate, and her wallet was the entire reason she was stuck in this mess in the first place. It would be for nothing if she got rid of it now.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hughes!" Al called back over his shoulder, "We'll be back to visit soon!"

"Alright," she yelled back to them. "Take care!"

"We will," Karmyn reassured her. Ed said nothing, keeping his eyes on the road ahead of him.

"Bye-bye!" Elicia waved goodbye. The two of them (Karmyn and Al) waved back.

Soon, they turned a corner and the Hughes family was out of sight. They walked in chilly silence towards the train station. Karmyn watched the events going on around her. It seemed that everyone minded his or her own business, while still being friendly to those around them. Two women stopped to talk when they ran into each other outside the dress shop. A few children ran around together as their parents picked out groceries. It seemed almost perfect. _If only Boston had been like this,_ she thought in amazement.

Soon enough, they reached a large building that Karmyn assumed to be the train station. It turned out that her hunch was right (then again, it had been pretty obvious). She waited as Edward got the tickets they needed. Sure, she knew how to work the train back home, but that was 2011. Now that she was in 1916, she really had no idea what to do. Mentally, she slapped herself on the forehead. "_Not home,"_ she told herself, "_Back there. This is home now."_

"Karmyn? Are you okay?" Al's voice cut into her thoughts. Looking she saw that a few people around her were staring. Apparently she _hadn't _done any of that in her head. She said that out loud, and her forehead was in her hand.

_Oops._

"Y- Yeah," she said, somewhat unreassuringly. "Sorry."

Alphonse eyed her warily. "If you say so," he said.

"Come on!" Ed yelled, "We're going to miss the train!"

Karmyn and Al looked at each other once more before running after the eldest of the group. "Coming, Brother!" Al cried out.

Ten minutes later, they were wandering up the aisle of a mostly-abandoned train car. It was nothing like the train cars that Karmyn had ridden in Boston. While those had been smooth, white and silver with comfortable cushions and actual _chairs_, the 1916 Amestrian trains were wooden, with brass poles and benches for seats. _Oh, well,_ she thought, _I'd better get used to it. There's not going to be any better, and the Elrics aren't ones to stay in one place for very long._

Looking up, she saw that Ed and Al had already found a booth. Hurrying her pace, she caught up. Sitting down next to Al, she pulled her suitcase (_Really, it was more of a briefcase_, she realized) onto her lap and pulled out her iPod and sheaf of papers that she had been carrying for the past day or so. She plopped the papers down onto the table that was placed between the two benches, pulling out a pen and putting it next to them. She took an earbud attached to her iPod, placing it in her ear and picking up the pen.

"Oh, crud," she muttered, examining the pen more closely. It wasn't a ballpoint pen like she had gotten back ho-in Boston. It was one of those ancient nib-tipped ones that you actually had to fill with ink before it could be used. "Uhm . . ."

Stumped, she looked over toward the Elrics. Ed was already sprawled out across his bench (the precise reason why she didn't sit with him), fast asleep. Alphonse was staring out the window at the frosted Amestrian scenery.

She hated to ask. She was embarrassed to tell them that she didn't even know how to write with a pen. _Am I really that weak?_ She asked herself. Looking inside her suitcase once more, she found the pot of ink that had come with the pen. Drawing it out, she held it in her right hand, her left already holding the device.

"Uhm," she said a little louder, nudging Al with her elbow. She was grateful that Ed was already asleep. He would've never let her live it down. When Al turned to her, she still had the ink and pen in her hands. Looking up at him, she smiled sheepishly. "Do you think you could . . . I mean . . . how do I do this?" she asked him.

"Bit out-of-date for you?" Al teased slightly. Karmyn nodded.

"Yeah . . ."

Al laughed in a way that suggested that he merely found it amusing, and that he wasn't making fun of her. She could accept that. "Here, hand it to me. Although, I may not quite remember how to do it, either . . ."

This time, it was Karmyn's turn to laugh as he filled the cartridge inside the pen. She watched carefully as he did so, making sure that she noted what he did. She didn't want to have to resort to someone's help again. "Thanks," she told him as he handed the pen back to her.

"You're welcome."

Turning towards her papers, she began to write- _Theorems of the Philosopher's Stone & Behind the Gate._ At first, she made some mistakes and blotches of ink ended up upon the paper. However, as she went along, she figured out that in order to keep from blotting, she had to keep writing, not letting her pen linger upon the paper for more than what was necessary.

About an hour had passed when Ed woke up. He sat up, looking over across the booth to where Karmyn and Al were sitting. Alphonse was still staring out the window; Karmyn was hard at work on . . . something or other. They both had an earbud in one ear, sharing Karmyn's iPod. Curious, Ed looked over at what Karmyn was working on. Seeing his questioning gaze, she answered him.

"My report for General Mustang," she explained. She could've laughed as his face turned into a grimace at his name, but she was too busy trying to keep her pen from blotting. "I figured it was best to get it out of the way now. I was never one for dallying on my homework." She nearly bit her tongue as she attempted to stop the memories that came flooding back with the word. Flinching, she continued writing. "When are we getting to North City?" she asked, not diverting her attention from the work at hand.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. We're taking a quick side trip to Resembool first. As much as I like these twenty-first century prosthetics, they're not really all that attuned for fighting," he told her. "I'd really like to get my automail back."

Alphonse turned away from the window at the change in conversation. "Really? I think _some_one just wants to see Winry again," he teased.

"What? N- No, it's not like that!" he insisted, shaking his head. He was, however, blushing at the comment.

"If you say so, Brother!" Al consented in a sing-song tone, only adding fuel to the fire.

"A- Al! No! Geez, let it rest! Karmyn even agrees with me- right, Karmyn?"

"Mmn- hmn," Karmyn said absently, concentrating on the papers in front of her.

"See!" Edward exclaimed.

"Sure, Brother, just keep believing that," Alphonse teased, refusing to let the subject go.

"Al-!"

Karmyn slammed her pen down onto the table. "For God's sake, will you two _shut up_?" she snapped, immediately silencing the two. "Sheesh. _Some_ people are _trying_ to write an _official document_ that won't make them look _stupid_ in front of a _high-ranking _military officer! _And_ there's the fact that I've _never_ written with one of these effing _nib pens_ in my entire _life_! So _please_," she implored, "Be quiet."

Her little speech/rant thing was met with silence. She was grateful for the peace, even if it was to be for just a few minutes.

-o-O-o-

_Aaand, there's another chapter gone. Whoosh! I said that I would post the lyrics to the song mentioned above, so here they are. They really do fit quite perfectly, I must say._

_**A Place In This World**_

_I don't know what I want, so don't ask me  
>Cause I'm still trying to figure it out<br>Don't know what's down this road, I'm just walking  
>Trying to see through the rain coming down<br>Even though I'm not the only one  
>Who feels the way I do<em>

_I'm alone, on my own, and that's all I know  
>I'll be strong, I'll be wrong, oh but life goes on<br>I'm just a girl, trying to find a place in  
>This world<em>

_Got the radio on, my old blue jeans  
>And I'm wearing my heart on my sleeve<br>Feeling lucky today, got the sunshine  
>Could you tell me what more do I need<br>And tomorrow's just a mystery, oh yeah  
>But that's ok<em>

_I'm alone, on my own, and that's all I know  
>I'll be strong, I'll be wrong, oh but life goes on<br>I'm just a girl, trying to find a place in  
>This world<em>

_Maybe I'm just a girl on a mission  
>But I'm ready to fly<em>

_I'm alone, on my own, and that's all I know  
>I'll be strong, I'll be wrong, oh but life goes on<br>I'm just a girl, trying to find a place in  
>This world<em>

_Sayonara!_


	25. 28 December, 1916 Cont

_Sigh . . . I really have no life . . ._

_So . . . they're on their way to Resembool, and then it's off to the Briggs Mountains! And Karmyn learned how to use a nib pen . . . I don't actually know what sort of pens they use in Amestris . . . but I figured a nib/cartridge pen would make sense . . ._

_The story writes itself! I really have nothing to do with it, except for the fact that I type the words . . ._

_Enough blabbering. I have to get this chapter done. And then the next chapter is an Elric Intervention, and . . . I'm still blabbering, aren't I? I should just tell myself to shut up . . ._

_Self! SHUT UP!_

_There we go. Now then._

-o-O-o-

**26 December, 1916**

"About how long does it take to get to Resembool?" Karmyn asked, having put away her report for the time being.

"From Central? Approximately ten to fifteen hours," was the response she was given by Ed. She sighed.

_Ten to fifteen hours! _She moaned in her head, _that means I have at least eight more hours- possibly thirteen- to spend on this hard bench_. _Oh, well. It's not like I can change anything about it._ She shifted in her seat and took out a clean sheet of paper. Picking up her pen, she began to sketch Ed, who was looking out the window in the seat across from her.

She was bored. She had never done well on long plane trips back in her old dimension. She remembered the trip to Cambridge University that she had taken with her mother. She shuddered at the thought. Finishing the outline of the person across from her, she put the pen down once again. Standing up, she stretched.

"I need to use the bathroom," she told them. "Where are they?"

Ed was so involved with the trees flashing outside the train car that he didn't answer. Seeing this, Al answered for him. "They're located in the middle of the train- you should be able to find them in the next car."

"Thanks," she said, and headed off that way. _I remember now why I never liked walking on trains,_ she thought as she traveled down the aisle. _They always gave me a weird feeling. _Crossing between cars was the worst part. Unlike the trains back in Boston, there was no walkway between them. There was nothing to prevent someone from falling off. Backing up against the door of the train car she was on, she looked to make sure that they were on a straight track. Swallowing her fear, she ran forward and jumped.

For a heart-stopping moment, she thought that she wouldn't make it. She had realized as she jumped that she had forgotten to take into account the fact that the train was still moving forward. Considering that she was on the back half of the train, and was trying to move forward as well, the train was moving much faster than she was, and moved out from under her.

Luckily, her toe caught the back end of the car in front of her, which allowed her to reach forward and grab the railing, preventing herself from falling. A minute later, she found herself standing firmly on the car, and she heaved a large sigh of relief. It would have been horrible if she had died within days of arriving in Amestris. Breathing hard, she brushed at the hair that had fallen in her face. She was certain that she looked terrible at the moment, the wind having wreaked havoc upon her loose blonde locks, sending them flying every which way.

Doing her best to straighten them out, she opened the door to the train car and stepped inside. She was grateful when she saw that the restrooms were just inside the door. They weren't much more than rooms with toilets, but they did the trick. _(A/N- I know, toilets would need running water and all that . . . but can you just live with it? I'm not about to look up 'train bathrooms,' alright?)_

When she finished, she stepped outside, nearly running into a man who was also waiting for the bathroom to open up. He was tall, with slick dark hair and eyes. He was wearing a blue military uniform, she noted. Looking into his face, her breath caught in her throat- and not in a good way. More like a _this-guy-seems-creepy-and-I'm-scared _way.

"Uhm, excuse me," she mumbled, moving her gaze down to the floor.

He smirked. "Oh, sorry," his voice was like the rest of him, oily and smooth. She shuddered as she passed him. It was probably just her, but there was something wrong with that guy.

Making her way out of the train car, she once again found herself at the coupling between them. This time, she took the smarter route. Bracing herself, she placed one foot forward, on top of where the two cars were connected. Leaning over, she grabbed the railing of the car across from her with one hand before quickly following with the other foot and hand. With the railing secure in both hands, she stepped over the open space between the cars without any mishap. Drawing a shaky breath, she re-entered her own train car and made her way back to where the Elrics were sitting.

She slid into her seat next to Alphonse, pressing her palms firmly onto the wooden table in front of her. _That was _not_ what I was expecting when I went to use the bathroom,_ she thought. _Definitely. Not. _She shuddered as she remembered the gleefully malicious glint that shone in his eyes _(A/N- you all know the one . . . *cough*Kimblee*cough* but it's not him . . .)_. She wondered how a man like that could even get into the military- they'd do more harm than good!

Edward was once again asleep. Not that it surprised her- she knew that he usually slept through train rides. That he had been awake for an hour was in itself a miracle. She wished she could be so lucky as to have the ability to sleep on a train . . .

Al must have noticed that she was so tense, because a few minutes later, she felt an elbow poke her side. _You okay?_ He mouthed to her. How many times was he going to ask that question? Oh, well. It wouldn't hurt to tell him.

Leaning closer, she whispered, trying to keep from waking the snoring Ed. "I nearly killed myself hopping train cars!" she exclaimed quietly, "Does that count as okay?"

"Oops," Alphonse whispered back to her sheepishly, "I forgot about that . . ."

"Apparently," she muttered. "Anyways, that's not really all that important . . ."

"Really? What-?"

"Karmyn Dallas?"

Karmyn nearly fell out of her chair at the new voice. Jerking around, she looked up to find the same creepy guy from earlier now standing at their booth . . . and he knew her name! Panicking, she managed to squeak out, "Yes?"

She could've sworn that his eyes glowed. Not literally, of course, but . . . still. "You dropped this," he told her, holding out her wallet.

She gulped, taking the wallet from his hands, opening it; she made sure that everything was still inside. "T- Thank you," she said, seeing that everything was still in place. "I appreciate it."

"No problem," he said, giving her a jaunty salute before turning around and walking back to his own car.

"Was _that_ what you were talking about?" Alphonse asked once he was gone.

"Y- Yeah. I ran into him as I left the restroom," she explained. "I don't like him . . . he feels creepy."

"Draw him out," Al suggested, "Maybe we can ask Brother about him once he wakes up."

"If he ever wakes up," Karmyn muttered, beginning to do just that.

-o-O-o-

_And we meet Mr. Creeper . . . hehe. As for the short chapters . . . Gomen. As I said, they write themselves. If they wanna be long, they will be. If they wanna be short, they'll do that too. But, there's gonna be at least another chapter of train ride . . . so it's somewhat okay that these chapters are short, right?_

_I'm too lazy to write out anything else, so-_

_Sayonara!_


	26. Elric Intervention IV

_Elric Intervention! You know, I get so tired of writing these, but I truly think they're necessary, and I think you all like them, right? So I'll keep doing it._

_I've noticed that _Truth&Fiction_ isn't your typical FMA OC story . . . I really can't tell you which one it mostly resembles . . . If you've read Bakuman (a manga about mangakas), you'll understand when I say that this is sort of a non-mainstream- but- mainstream story. If you haven't, maybe you still understand what I mean . . ._

_Anyways . . . Nobody has correctly guessed who the creeper guy is . . . If someone gets it, their name will be mentioned!_

_Let's get on with the story, shall we?_

-o-O-o-

_**25 December, 1916**_

"Uhm, hi. I . . ." Edward sighed. Had he really let his brother and friend talk him into doing this? _Yes_, was the unchangeable answer he was given. Finally, he got up the courage to speak again. "Merry Christmas, Winry."

"E- Edward?"

"Yeah," he said, mentally cringing as the phone booth fell into silence. _She can't throw a wrench through a telephone,_ he thought desperately, _can she?_

"You IDIOT!" A loud scream sounded over the phone, right into his ear. Startled, he jumped, hitting his head against the phone booth. He glared at Al and Karmyn when they started to giggle at his misfortune. _Ouch,_ _that hurt in more places than one,_ he thought, meaning his head and his ego.

"Winry," he said, trying to placate the angry female.

"WHERE WERE YOU? EVERYONE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!"

"Winry, I-" he was cut off once again by the raging girl, who was fit to be tied.

"You've been missing for the greater part of a YEAR, and then you suddenly just CALL me as if it was NOTHING!"

"Winry, please!"

"But I'm glad you're alright," she said softly with a hint of tears in her voice. Ed's eyes widened. She wasn't going to cry, was she? He never had liked it when she cried, and neither had Al. It made them feel so helpless- a feeling that they really didn't appreciate all that much.

"Yeah," Ed told her. "I am too. But-"

"Did you break my automail again?" Winry asked accusingly. _Okay, at least she's not going to cry anymore,_ he thought, relieved, trying to take his thoughts away from what her reaction would be . . .

"Well-" Ed hesitated, shuffling his feet once more.

"DID YOU?"

"More like . . . I no longer have it . . ." he explained.

"Oh! Did you get your limbs back?" she asked excitingly.

Ed sighed. _I wish,_ he thought grimly. "I didn't say that, either . . ."

"Oh," came the dejected response. "When will you be coming by?" she asked. _What? She didn't explode? _He was stunned.

"I don't know," he told her, "I need to report back to Central first . . . I'll let you know."

"Okay. Oh, and Ed?"

"Yes?"

"If Al's there, could I talk to him for a minute?"

"Oh, yeah. Sure." He handed the phone to Al, who had already moved to take it.

"I was wrong," he muttered to Karmyn, rubbing his head. "She _can_ throw a wrench through a telephone."

His friend laughed quietly, taking care not to disturb Al's phone call. "Don't tell her that- then you'll never be safe!" she whispered back to him.

"Good idea," he agreed.

Alphonse then hung up the phone and turned back to them. "Alright," he said, "What now?" As much as he was excited about being home, he knew that they couldn't rush things. They also had to remember that Karmyn was still with them, and she had never been to Amestris before. He suspected that she still hadn't completely recovered from her episode down underneath Central. They weren't yet treading on solid ground with her- one false step and it might collapse.

"We should probably find a place to stay for the night. It's getting kind of late," his brother pointed out.

"Uhm, guys? Do you think maybe- I mean, we don't have anything other than what we're wearing right now," Karmyn said, "We should probably, you know, get some stuff."

Al was impressed with the fact that she was still thinking logically, even with everything that she had been through that day.

"Yeah," he heard Ed say, "Good point. Alright. Anyways, you would attract too much attention in what you're wearing now."

"No more attention than what you got, wandering around in that old getup of yours," Karmyn shot back.

"Hey! That was stylish!" he protested.

Oh, no. _Brother's about to get into another argument with someone,_ Al realized. Rather than letting it get out of hand, he interrupted, breaking it apart before it even started. "Okay, fine! We need to go shopping!" he said. Sticking his hand into his pocket, a thought hit him. "How much money do we have?" he asked uncertainly.

Ed dug around in his pockets while Al did the same. Edward managed to pull up twenty Cens, while Al fished out ten. _This certainly isn't enough to buy much,_ Al realized with a sinking heart. They couldn't even access Edward's bank account; it would draw attention to the fact that they were back- something that they didn't want to reveal quite yet.

"Oh, geez." Karmyn's exasperated voice cut into his thoughts. "Of course you would only have thirty dolla-Cens! I don't know how much things cost here, but I'm pretty sure that thirty Cens won't cover it."

Both Ed and Al knew that she was right. The three of them stood there for a few minutes more, wracking their brains for what they could do. "Hey, Brother? Do you think that Mrs. Hughes still lives here?" Al asked hesitantly, getting an idea. Edward thought for a minute.

"It's possible, but are you sure you want to reveal our identities quite yet?" Ed asked quietly. _Although it is Gracia and Elicia . . . I doubt there would be much of a problem, however. . ._

"I don't know, but-"

"But you're gonna have to at some point," Karmyn broke in. "And why not start with her? I think she'd be very pleased to know that you're back."

Both Ed and Al jumped, having forgotten that she was standing there. They had also forgotten that she already knew almost everything about Amestris, from the people to the places. Slowly, Al nodded, realizing the truth in her statement. "Yeah, I think you're right," he said. "Come on, Brother. It's the best chance we've got."

"Okay," Ed relented. _It's not like we have much to lose, and it's the least we can do for them._ "Let's go. It isn't too far from here."

The two of them began walking towards the Hughes residence, making sure that Karmyn was following. Although she knew almost everything, the one thing she most certainly didn't know was the streets of Central. Edward certainly didn't want to have to take the time to go look for her.

-o-

Ten minutes later, they were standing on the threshold of the Hughes household, a place that Edward and Alphonse hadn't been for ninety years. Ed swallowed before ringing the doorbell, and then waited somewhat impatiently for someone to answer.

The door opened.

"Hello? Who is it?" A woman with cropped light-brown hair and green eyes looked out at them. "Oh, hello. What are your names?" she asked. _Oh, right, she must not recognize us,_ Ed thought, remembering their disguises. In response to her question, he moved the hood of Karmyn's jacket away from his face, staring up at Gracia with his golden eyes. Apparently, it worked. "Oh! You- you can come right in," was the response that he was given.

Gracia sat the three of them down on the couch before going to the kitchen to retrieve some cookies that she had made earlier that day. _Yum, Gracia's cookies,_ Alphonse thought. He never did have the chance to try her pie. She set the cookies down on the coffee table before sitting across from the three teens.

"Well," she started, "That certainly gave me a surprise, Edward."

"Sorry," he told her, munching on a cookie that he had snatched off the plate. "We . . . just got back, so we don't really want anyone to know we're here quite yet," he said.

"What he means is that he didn't think to bring more money with him when he left, so we didn't have enough for a hotel room," both Ed and Al heard Karmyn mutter. Edward shot her a glare while Alphonse made an attempt not to laugh, mostly succeeding.

"It was quite a shock," Gracia explained, "Considering that I went to the funeral they held for you almost a year ago. Who are your companions?"

_So, they held a funeral for us. That's nice; _Ed thought absently, his attention still mostly focused on his cookie.

"Ms. Hughes! It's me, Alphonse!" Al said eagerly. _That's right- this is the first time she's seen me in my actual body!_

"Al? So you did get your body back! I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks," he told her.

"And you?" she asked Karmyn. Both Elrics looked over to see a slightly panicked look on Karmyn's face. _Of course, _Al realized, _her story is slightly more complicated . . ._ They watched as she silently begged them for help in answering Gracia's question. Alphonse was about to step in, but Ed beat him to it.

"This is Karmyn. Karmyn Dallas. She helped us get back here."

"Pleased to meet you, Karmyn."

"Pleased to meet you too, Ms. Hughes," she said back.

"Gracia," she was corrected.

Just then, a small four-year-old looked around the corner of the door leading to the rest of the house. "Mommy? I heard voices," she said. Al grinned. Elicia!

"Oh, Elicia dear," Gracia told her child, "It's Edward and Alphonse. You remember them, right?"

"Yes!" came the small cry, and the girl came running over. "Ed! Al!"

Both Elrics greeted the enthusiastic toddler. They played around for a few minutes, until Elicia's attention was caught elsewhere. Looking over, Al saw that Karmyn hadn't moved from her spot- she was still sitting where she had been. However, when the young girl looked up at her, she finally moved.

"Hi," Karmyn told her, crouching down. "I'm Karmyn."

"Kar-myn?" Elicia asked, sounding out the word. "Big Sister!"

_Seems like Elicia likes her,_ Ed observed.

Al, however, saw her face light up at the words. _I don't think she's ever had a sibling_, he thought, no_ wonder it makes her so happy!_

"Yes," he heard Karmyn say, "Big Sister."

They couldn't help it- both Elrics smiled at the exchange.

-o-O-o-

That night, when Al was returning from a trip to the bathroom, he heard muffled sounds coming from behind the door that led to the room Karmyn was located in. Concerned, he opened the door, looking inside. _I shouldn't be doing this,_ he thought. _If Brother finds out, I'll never hear the end of it . . ._ however, his concern for his friend outweighed what his brother would think.

Opening the door a little wider, he saw Karmyn look over at him. "What are you doing here?" she asked blearily. "Why are you awake?"

"I could ask you the same question," he said, quietly entering the room. "I had to use the bathroom and I heard you crying in here . . . are you okay?"

"Yes," she started, "No . . . I will be? I don't know," she admitted. _At least she's being honest,_ he thought, _even if it is rather confusing._

"Karmyn" he said, already regretting what he was about to say. "You know that we could try to get you home," he suggested. He was relieved when she shook her head no.

"Al. I know what happened when you were trying to get your body back. It's harder than it looks. Besides," she said, "I'd have to get back in less than a week, what with the time differences."

"I forgot about that," he said quietly. _I must've sounded like an idiot for suggesting it, then . . ._

Karmyn sobbed. "There's nothing for me back there now anyways. My mom's gone, my dad left, and I have no other family there. Mom sacrificed herself to send me here. I'm not about to let her efforts go to waste. This is my home now."

"Karmyn . . ." Al didn't know what to say about her resolve. He admired her courage, but still- was it the right choice?

"I'm gonna stick with you and Ed, alright? I think that's my best bet to surviving here. Besides," she added, "You're my friends."

Al was brought out of his trouble thoughts and smiled at her statement. "Alright. You get some sleep now, okay?" He yawned. "I think I'm gonna do the same. See you in the morning, Karmyn."

"Or, later today," she replied, pointing to the clock. Al laughed, and then left the room. _I really hope she'll be okay . . ._

-o-O-o-

_**26 December, 1916**_

Alphonse sat on the floor of the living room, playing with Elicia. It would do him well to keep his mind off of what had happened in the past twenty-four hours. He was placing yet another building block onto his tower when he heard Elicia's voice.

"Big Sister! Come play!"

Al continued building his tower as Karmyn came and sat down next to him. "Morning," she said.

"Morning," he returned, "Feeling better?" he asked, referring to the night before. She nodded.

"Yeah. I know what I have to do now."

"That always helps," he told her. "How do you like it?" He gestured towards his tower, making sure that he didn't knock it over.

"I can make mine taller," she teased him. Raising his eyebrow, he grinned.

"You wanna bet?" he asked, even though he had nothing _to_ bet.

"Sure," she said, "I bet you my left sock that I can make my tower taller."

_Her left sock, huh? _He could've laughed at the thought. "You're on," he said, knocking his previous tower down so that they could start over.

"I wanna build a tower too," Elicia said, grabbing some blocks.

"Fine then," Al said. "On the count of three- One . . . two . . . THREE!"

Edward emerged from the bathroom, having completed his shower. Hearing loud sounds from down the hall, he decided to investigate. What he found was a curious scene, his brother and Karmyn; sixteen and seventeen, fighting over whose building-block tower was tallest. Elicia sat off to the side, building her own and ignoring the two foolish teenagers.

"What's going on here?" he asked, somewhat curious as to what had caused the scene before him.

"I bet that I could build a taller tower than Al. He accepted the challenge. Now he just won't admit that mine's taller," Karmyn explained.

"But it's not!" Al protested vehemently. "Mine clearly is!"

"And what do you gain by winning?" Ed asked them. If it was anything worthwhile, he would join the contest himself. That idea, however, was quickly dashed to pieces.

"My left sock," Karmyn informed him matter-of-factly. He sighed. _What a stupid thing to be fighting over,_ he thought. _Then again, I've never really seen Al get this riled up over something trivial like this . . . _Slowly, he walked through the room until he reached his brother and his friend. Once he got there, he then knocked over both towers until there was nothing standing.

"There. Simple solution. Now they're the same height," he said, solving the problem. "Alright," he said, "Now that that's over, we'll be going into Central HQ later today, as much as I don't want to." Ed mentally grimaced as he spoke. _Now I'll have to talk with Colonel Bastard,_ he thought. _At least that was one good thing about being stuck on the other side of the Gate for ninety years. I didn't have to see his face! _He finished with "We can't keep hiding forever."

-o-

In the time that passed before they left, Ed transmuted himself an outfit identical to the one that he had worn up until he disappeared to the other side of the Gate. If they were to announce to the world that Edward and Alphonse Elric were back, they would do it proudly, without any reservations.

Ed took the lead of their little procession, Al following close behind with Karmyn. He could hear the comments that the people of Central were making, and if anything, they fired him up even more. He didn't acknowledge them as the trio of teens arrived at the outer gates of Central Command. Nearly laughing at the guard's facial expressions, he strode right by as they forgot that they had to be doing their job.

Marching up the steps to the front door, he paused. _Here we go_, he thought, taking a deep breath. Reaching out, he flung the doors open. "ALRIGHT, WHERE IS HE?" He yelled, making as much of a dramatic entrance as possible. Unfortunately, his thunder was quickly stolen.

"Edward?" a woman asked, approaching, "It's you, right?"

"Lieutenant Hawkeye!" Al exclaimed. _Thank God we ran into you . . . Who knows what Brother might've done!_

"Actually, it's Colonel Hawkeye now. We all got promoted four ranks after the events of the Promised Day . . . you're looking for General Mustang, correct?"

Colonel _Hawkeye? Wow . . . I pity the subordinates that get on her bad side, though . . ._ Al thought, remembering her tendencies to shoot warning shots at people who misbehaved.

"Yeah, where is that bastard?" Ed asked drawlingly in response to the Colonel's _(A/N- Who is now Hawkeye, if I refer to 'the Colonel.' 'The General' is Mustang.)_ question.

"Brother," Al said, trying to get him to step down. _You could get into serious trouble saying that to anyone else,_ he said mentally.

"It's alright Al. You can all just follow me," Hawkeye reassured him. She had begun to walk away when she turned back to look at them again. "I'm sorry; I didn't ask your name."

Alphonse was slightly confused, until he remembered that Karmyn was still standing behind them. He worried slightly that she would freeze up like she had with Gracia, but she handled it much more smoothly this time.

"Karmyn. Karmyn

"Likewise," was the answer, "Now then, follow me."

Both Elrics were surprised at how polite she had been. She had never been that way in the time that they had known her in Boston . . . apparently someone _could_ change in less than twenty-four hours.

They walked through the familiar halls of Central Headquarters, though they had been fixed up after nearly being destroyed in the events of the Promised Day. Eventually, they arrived at a large set of double doors. _Better get this over with,_ Ed thought, marching forward and slamming the doors open in the fashion that he had the main doors out front.

"So, you're a general now, eh?" he asked casually, as if he had never been gone. He looked around the large room. "Couldn't quite make it to the top, could you now?" He said antagonistically, giving way to the urge to taunt the General.

"Well if it isn't Fullmetal. I knew you'd be back," he smirked. "Then again, for all I knew, you might've never been gone- just hidden behind my paperwork," he suggested sardonically.

That hit Ed's buttons. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE COULD RIDE ON FLEAS?" he exploded, unable to contain himself. The General laughed.

"So it's really you. Welcome back. Don't expect any babying because you've been out for so long," he warned.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Ed told him.

"Hello, Mr. Mustang!" Alphonse called out, breaking the tension between the two. He was good at that.

"Oh, Al! So you managed to get your body back!" Mustang congratulated him. Both Ed and Al got a bad feeling when his gaze moved past Alphonse to the person who was standing awkwardly in the back.

_Oh, no . . ._ Edward thought. _Maybe Karmyn should've stayed home_. Alphonse cringed mentally, having heard tales about and witnessed firsthand Mustang's womanizing tendencies.

"And who's this lovely lady," he asked suavely. "Finally managed to find yourself a girlfriend, eh, Fullmetal?"

Ed hadn't been prepared for that. "What? No!" he said, shaking his head. "She's just a friend! She helped us get back! We wouldn't be here if it weren't for her!" he insisted. _Why does he always get the wrong idea?_

"If you say so," Mustang relented, surprisingly easy. He then turned his attention back on Karmyn. "So," he said smoothly, "Would you like to go to dinner sometime? Friday, maybe?"

If there was anything that the Elrics _didn't_ want to do, it was to put Karmyn in this kind of situation. She was still recovering from the shock of arriving here, and losing her mother. She didn't need to be chased by Mustang.

Luckily, they needn't have worried. "And your gloves work in the rain," she told him sarcastically. "I'm seventeen. That's just . . . no." she said shortly. Mustang's face fell, and his men laughed. Ed and Al laughed along with them.

"Sir," Hawkeye said curtly, "Your manners," she prompted, in the tone that suggested bullets were about to go flying.

"Oh, right. How rude of me. Men?" He called out. Getting up from his desks, the officers lined up. Hawkeye joined them. When they were settled, he began introductions.

"You've already met Colonel Riza Hawkeye. Next we have Lieutenant Colonel Jean Havoc. Lieutenant Colonel Heymans Breda. First Lieutenant Kain Fuery. Chief Warrant Officer Vato Falman. And last but not least, our newest addition, Sergeant Major Robert Cross."

As he recited their names and titles, each man (and Hawkeye) stepped forward and saluted. The Elrics knew every one of them except the last one. He had probably been . . .

"Dad?" Karmyn's incredulous voice rang out.

-o-O-o-

_Dad?_ The Elrics were thoroughly confused. Hadn't her dad left them two years ago? How could he be here?

"Karmyn?" Sergeant Major Robert Cross asked upon seeing her. Al looked closer at the man. His hair was black, unlike Karmyn's. In fact he could see next to no similarities . . . until he saw the man's eyes. They were the same shade of shocking blue that Karmyn's were, although they didn't have the green in them. _Maybe it's true_, he thought.

"Yes, _Dad_, it's me." Karmyn told him.

"But- you look so old!"

She sighed. "Dad, I'm seventeen. This is how I'm supposed to look," she said with obviously false patience.

"But- but that's impossible! I only got here a week ago!" he protested.

"Dad." she said, "It's been two years since you _left_ us."

The rest of the room had fallen silent at the beginning of their banter.

. . .

"Wait, wait, wait- _Dad_?" Ed's voice shattered the stillness of the air. He was having a hard time believing that this man was actually Karmyn's father.

"Yeah," Karmyn said. "Dad."

"But how-?" Alphonse asked, leaving the question hanging in the air. _How is he here?_ Was the unfinished question.

"That's what I'd like to know," she muttered darkly.

"I think that we all have some explaining to do," Mustang broke in, moving to close the large set of double doors. "And I think it needs to be done now. That's an order, Sergeant," he added. For once (and he hated to admit it), Edward agreed with him.

The Sergeant sighed. "Yes, sir," he said, before beginning his story. "It was about a week ago. I had gone to the lab to drop something off for my wife. While I was there, she decided to show me the project that they had been working on for the past eight years. I leaned in closer to get a better look, when I suddenly blacked out and found myself lying on the streets of this city. A couple officers found me and dragged me here. When I explained that I didn't know where I was and I didn't have any papers with me, they gave me two choices- join the military or get out of the country. Considering that I didn't have any place to go, I joined the military. I served for a few years back home, so I was already used to the atmosphere. That was a week ago. I got assigned to General Mustang's squad, so here I am now. And then, Karmyn, you show up and tell me it's been two years."

"Because it has been!" Karmyn shot back.

"And, young lady, you are-?" Mustang prompted her.

"Karmyn Dallas. _I_ was told by my mom that my father had left us. That he was fed up with his chemistry-obsessed wife and daughter. Naturally, I've hated him for about two years now. And then I get caught up with Element 116 and the Elrics and trying to get them back home, succeed in doing so, losing my mother in the process, and then finding out that my father was _here_!"

As they thought about it, the Elrics realized that the story about her father being fed up was probably just that- a story- made to cover up his disappearance. They sort of felt sorry for her, having been lied to like that for two years.

"Is Marie doing okay?" Robert asked. Al mentally cringed. _Bad question!_

Karmyn looked down at her feet. "She sacrificed herself to save me. She's not with us anymore," she said sadly. Her father fell silent.

"Why don't you share a last name?" Ed asked, somewhat confused. "I mean, he and you mother were married, right?"

"Mom was already the famous chemist Marie Dallas. They decided to give me her last name when I was born," Karmyn explained. "Although, there were times that I wish they hadn't . . ." _Right. She mentioned that a few weeks ago . . ._ Ed remembered.

"So it's really been two years?" Robert asked sadly. She nodded.

"Yes. If you hadn't figured it out already, we're in an alternate dimension, Dad. One year here is equal to a hundred years in our dimension." Both Ed and Al noticed that she hadn't said 'our side of the Gate.' _Her father must not know about that . . ._

"So . . . do you know how I got here?" he asked hopefully. The Elrics would have been surprised if she didn't have _some _clue as to why.

"Yes, I might," she said. "A few weeks ago, Mom said that some guy had disappeared. You story sounds very much the same as what happened then. At the time, we joked that the Gate took him . . . which now, I don't think was a joke. They were testing Element 116, which is the element that the Philosopher's Stone is composed of," she said for the benefit of the Amestrians in the room. "I don't want to go into the theory behind that at the moment. However, as they were testing it, the atoms were flying at sub-lightspeed. It is possible that one of those atoms collided with you as you stepped forward. The high amounts of energy were enough to grab you, pull you through the Gate, and land you here . . ."

Only Ed and Al, who had knowledge of both worlds, understood her. Resting her forehead in her hand, she told them, "I'll write it out for you later. Consider it an unofficial report."

"I'll make it a special case," Mustang told her, "It's unusual for a civilian to write a report . . . but we may need the information. I'm still not sure where you're coming from, but I'll get Fullmetal to give me the rundown later."

"Yeah, right," Ed muttered. _Of course it would fall onto me,_ he thought.

"Colonel Hawkeye, if you could escort Miss Dallas and Alphonse here out, I need to talk to Fullmetal for a while."

"Yes, sir."

Both Al and Karmyn followed the woman out, leaving Ed in the room with Mustang.

-o-

Basically, Ed was interrogated about where he had been for the past year. He answered that as best he could, but it really wasn't something that could be explained in half an hour. After being called 'short' multiple times, he received his new assignment. Apparently Drachma was causing problems in the north, and they were being sent to Briggs as reinforcements.

He exited the room as soon as he was allowed, finding Karmyn and his brother sitting on a bench outside. When they saw him, they stood. "Well, Al, looks like it's back to Briggs for us," he announced. "They've been having some problems with the Drachmans. They're looking for some extra support. We got back at just the right time, it seems . . ." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Karmyn shiver. _You got that right,_ he thought.

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" she asked them, thoroughly confusing Ed. He looked over at Al, who seemed to have a knowing expression on his face.

"What?"

"I'm coming with you!"

_Uhh, no, you aren't,_ Ed thought. "Wouldn't you rather be trying to find a way to get home?" he asked, trying to dissuade her from the idea. He wouldn't be able to work properly if he had to look after her as well. At least Al could hold his own.

"Al already knows the answer," she told him. "There's nothing left for me back there anyways! This is where I live now. And I'm not about to just sit around and do nothing. I'm gonna be sticking with you guys from now on."

Ed was starting to get desperate. "You can't do that- it's too dangerous!" he said, trying to play that card. It didn't work.

"Yeah, danger really seems to follow you wherever you go, doesn't it. Don't try to dissuade me. I need something to do with my life. I can't keep thinking about the past, alright? Now shut up," Karmyn said.

He sighed. Apparently there was nothing that he could say that would convince her to stay behind. "When do we leave?" she asked.

"The day after tomorrow," he told her curtly. She had put him in a bad mood.

Seeing this, Al covered for his brother, along with accomplishing something that he had wanted to do since the day before. "Oh, Karmyn!" he exclaimed, "I kept forgetting. I found this lying on the ground when I arrived. I think it's yours."

"Thank you," she told him.

"No problem."

-o-O-o-

_**28 December, 1916**_

The three teens stood on the doorstep of the Hughes residence, saying their goodbyes to both Gracia and Elicia. They had their things packed- a suitcase for each of them. They had gone shopping the day before, obtaining the necessities that they would need on their journey.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hughes!" Al called back over his shoulder, "We'll be back to visit soon!"

"Alright," she yelled back to them. "Take care!"

"We will," Karmyn said. Ed said nothing, keeping his eyes on the road ahead of him. He was still somewhat sore about allowing Karmyn to travel with them.

"Bye-bye!" Elicia waved goodbye. The two of them (Karmyn and Al) waved back.

Soon, they turned a corner and the Hughes family was out of sight. They walked in chilly silence towards the train station. Alphonse could feel that his brother wasn't happy. He hadn't wanted Karmyn to go with them- he thought that it would be too dangerous and troublesome. He knew that his brother was probably right, but . . . they still couldn't just leave her behind, could they?

Soon enough, they reached the train station. Edward bought the tickets that they needed, having withdrawn money from his bank account the day before. It was a wonder that they hadn't closed it down after he 'died.' He suspected that the General had had a say in that. Grudgingly, he paid for three tickets.

"Not home- back there. This is home now," he heard Karmyn mutter. He pretended as if he hadn't.

"Karmyn? Are you okay?" Al asked her.

"Y- Yeah," she said, somewhat unreassuringly. "Sorry."

He eyed her warily. "If you say so," he said, not completely convinced.

"Come on! We're going to miss the train!" Ed yelled, interrupting.

"Coming, Brother!" Alphonse cried, him and Karmyn racing to catch up.

Ten minutes later, Ed and Al found themselves among the seats of a refreshingly familiar Amestrian train. They had boarded the last car as they usually did, finding a booth near the back. Ed sat down on one of the benches, Al taking the seat across from him. When Karmyn caught up, she wisely chose to sit with Al.

Neither paid very much attention to her as Ed settled down for a nap and Alphonse stared out the window. A few minutes later, Al felt a poke at his side and heard a small "Uhm." When he turned to Karmyn, he could've laughed at the expression on her face as she held a pen in one hand and a pot of ink in the other. "Do you think you could . . . I mean . . . how do I do this?" she asked him.

_That's right- she's never used a cartridge pen before! _"Bit out-of-date for you?" he teased slightly. Karmyn nodded.

"Yeah . . ."

Al laughed quietly. ""Here, hand it to me. Although, I may not quite remember how to do it, either . . ." He smiled when he heard Karmyn laugh. When he finished, he handed the pen back to her.

"Thanks," she told him.

"You're welcome." With that, he turned back to the window and lost all sense of time. When she nudged him again, he wondered what it was for. This time, however, she was offering him an earbud from her iPod. _How'd she manage to keep that?_ He wondered as he took the proffered item. _Not that it really matters . . ._

"My report for General Mustang." Al's consciousness was once again brought back into the train when he heard Karmyn's voice. Looking over, he saw that she was explaining to a now-awake Ed what she was doing. "I figured it was best to get it out of the way now. I was never one for dallying on my homework . . . When are we getting to North City?" she asked.

Al examined the work that she had done so far. _It looks like she's starting to get a handle on that thing,_ he thought, observing how the blotches of ink got fewer and fewer as she went through the report.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. We're taking a quick side trip to Resembool first. As much as I like these twenty-first century prosthetics, they're not really all that attuned for fighting," Al heard his brother say. "I'd really like to get my automail back."

"Really?" Al said, "I think _some_one just wants to see Winry again," he teased. It wasn't often that he got a chance to press his brother's buttons, so he jumped at the opportunity.

"What? N- No, it's not like that!" Ed insisted, shaking his head. He was, however, blushing at the comment, so Al kept at it.

"If you say so, Brother!" he consented in a sing-song tone, adding fuel to the fire.

"A- Al! No! Geez, let it rest! Karmyn even agrees with me- right, Karmyn?" Ed asked her desperately, momentarily forgetting that he didn't want her there.

"Mmn- hmn," Karmyn said absently, concentrating on the papers in front of her.

"See!" he exclaimed.

"Sure, Brother, just keep believing that," Alphonse teased, refusing to let the subject go.

"Al-!"

Karmyn slammed her pen down onto the table, catching their attention. "For God's sake, will you two _shut up_?" she snapped, immediately silencing the two. "Sheesh. _Some_ people are _trying_ to write an _official document_ that won't make them look _stupid_ in front of a _high-ranking _military officer! _And_ there's the fact that I've _never_ written with one of these effing _nib pens_ in my entire _life_! So _please_," she implored, "Be quiet."

-o-O-o-

"About how long does it take to get to Resembool?" Karmyn asked, having put away her report for the time being.

"From Central? Approximately ten to fifteen hours," Ed told her grudgingly. He stared out the window, contemplating going back to sleep. It was the easiest way to pass the long train rides that he was used to.

Five minutes later, Karmyn stood up and stretched. "I need to use the bathroom," she told them. "Where are they?"

Ed didn't answer, pretending to be caught up in the scenery flashing outside the car. Al answered for him, knowing what he was doing. . "They're located in the middle of the train- you should be able to find them in the next car."

"Thanks," she said, heading off that way.

"You forgot to warn her about the gap," Ed muttered, watching her retreating form.

"I did? Oh, shoot." Al grimaced as the door of the car swung closed. It was too late to tell her anything now. Deciding not to dwell on it too much, he turned back to Ed. "Brother," he said, "Why are you being so cold to Karmyn all of a sudden?"

Ed sighed. "She really shouldn't have come with us," he said. "She would've done much better to stay in Central with her father. I just don't want her to get hurt because of us."

"Don't you think she _knows_ it's dangerous? She knows what we've gotten into in the past, and yet she still wanted to come with us. It's not your fault, Brother. And besides, don't you think you'd hurt her _more_ if you continue acting the way you have been?" Al said, pointing out the flaws in Ed's argument. Ed made a sound in acknowledgement.

"Alright, Al. I won't be so cold anymore. But still- I don't think this is a good idea," he said. "I'm gonna take a nap."

"Okay, Brother." Al watched as Ed fell asleep. A few minutes later, Karmyn came back. Yet, as she sat down- she was acting odd. He nudged her with his elbow the way that she had him. _You okay?_ He mouthed. He felt that he had been asking that question way too much, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

She leaned closer to him. I nearly killed myself hopping train cars!" she exclaimed quietly, "Does that count as okay?"

"Oops," he whispered back to her sheepishly, "I forgot about that . . ."

"Apparently," she muttered. "Anyways, that's not really all that important . . ."

"Really? What-?" His question was interrupted with a new voice.

"Karmyn Dallas?"

He was surprised as Karmyn nearly fell off the bench. He grew more worried as squeaked, "Yes?"

"You dropped this," he told her, holding out her wallet. Al didn't like his voice. It was smooth, oily, and taunting- it reminded him of all the bad guys he had ever gone up against. He shuddered.

"T- Thank you," he heard Karmyn stutter. "I appreciate it."

"No problem," he said, giving her a jaunty salute before turning around and walking back to his own car.

"Was _that_ what you were talking about?" Alphonse asked once he was gone.

"Y- Yeah. I ran into him as I left the restroom," she explained. "I don't like him . . . he feels creepy."

_Ditto. I agree with you completely. _"Draw him out," he suggested, having seen Karmyn drawing earlier. "Maybe we can ask Brother about him once he wakes up."_ If he's a military officer, then he's more likely to know him than we are,_ was his reasoning.

"If he ever wakes up," Karmyn muttered.

-o-O-o-

_Yay! I got the Intervention done! Huzzah!_

_Anyways, just to tell you, the relationship that Karmyn has with either of the boys is purely platonic at the moment. Sort of like Harry and Hermione in Harry Potter . . . Really good friends but not romantically interested. As for later, well, you'll find out._

_**I put up a poll on my profile page! I would really appreciate it if you could check it out and vote. It would help a lot!**_

_Sa~yona~ra~_

_(I felt like singing it today _XD_)_


	27. 28 December, 1916 Cont II

_I don't know why I'm apologizing- this is still a really quick update . . . but I just haven't been in the writing kind of a mood for the past day or so . . . but whatevs._

_Should I change the summary? I mean, even now the story has gone WAAYYY beyond what is described in the summary . . . I dunno. Just an idea . . ._

_I got a haircut the other day. I had my bangs cut to my chin. Then I realized (or maybe subconsciously knew) . . . If I straighten my bangs (I've got naturally curly hair) and braid the rest . . . I could potentially look just like Ed. (My hair's also blonde, albeit a really dark blonde.) So . . . I don't know if that would be a WIN or a FAIL . . ._

_I'm amazed at how much support my creepy guy's gotten . . . bwehehehehe. Nobody's been able to guess who it is, though . . ._

_I DREW A PICTURE OF HIM! However, I don't think I have a scanner . . . so it'll be a while until I can get it onto my deviantart account . . . -.- but I will get it there!_

_I also discovered the Microsoft Word thesaurus! Epic . . . O.O_

_Onto the story!_

-o-O-o-

**28 December, 1916**

To her dismay, Karmyn found that she had fallen asleep over her drawing of the creepy guy. _Not the best face to wake up to,_ she thought after she had recovered from her initial shock. She then called herself three kinds of idiot for being so frightened by a drawing. Blinking, she raised her head to look around the train car that she was sitting in.

It was starting to get dark outside- she must've been out of it for a while. She sat up from her slouched position over the wooden table that she had been lying on. _Ow,_ she thought, feeling her back protest from being in such an unnatural position for the hours that she had been asleep. Looking over, she saw that Edward had awakened, and that he and his brother had engaged in a game of cards. She yawned, stretching out a bit.

"How long was I out?" she asked, rubbing her face. She was certain that the table, if not the paper, had left an imprint upon her skin. Not that she really cared- it wasn't like she could change it or anything, and it would go away in time.

"Six hours," Ed said offhandedly, staring at his cards.

_Six hours? What the frig? How could I have slept six hours like that?_ She wondered in astonished disbelief. She looked towards Al, who nodded.

"We didn't want to wake you. You've had a rough couple of days. You needed your sleep," he told her.

Okay, that she could understand. But still- _six hours_? "How much longer until we get there?" was her next question as she looked out the window to the darkening countryside around her. The amount of snow on the ground had diminished as they traveled further south, although it was still there. The light dusting of white flakes gave a crystallized feeling to the world. Karmyn wished she had a camera with her- the pinks and reds of the setting sun seemed to set the trees and ground on fire. _So pretty,_ she thought.

Ed's voice kicked her out of her wonderstruck trance. "We'll be at Resembool Station in approximately two hours, give or take a little," he told her, studying his cards intently.

"What'cha playing?" Karmyn asked, curious.

"Go Fish," was the answer she was given.

"Go Fish?" She could have laughed at that. She had expected them to be playing something . . . different. Not a children's game from her side of the- from the _other_ side of the Gate. Scooching _(A/N- I think that's a word . . . my spellcheck says it isn't though . . . but we all know what it means, right?)_ closer to Al, she peered over his shoulder at his cards. He had so many, yet despite that . . . he was still losing. Suddenly, Karmyn remembered something from when she used to play with her mom . . . it was cheating, really, but . . .

Getting up, Karmyn switched sides to sit next to Ed. Leaning over; she took a look at his cards as well.

"Wh- what? What are you doing?" he sputtered, somewhat unnerved by her hovering so close. She ignored him.

"Hey Al," she called, "How long have you been playing this game?" she asked, keeping an eye on Edward's cards.

"Not long," he said, somewhat baffled, "Why?"

"Oh, nothing," she said innocently. "Continue on."

"Brother, do you have any . . . threes?" Alphonse asked, scanning his cards. Edward did, in fact, have three- well, threes. However, Karmyn watched as he only handed two of them over. _Haha, gotcha. That's the oldest trick in the book!_ She thought triumphantly. Al took the two threes and they were about to continue with the game when she stopped them.

"All of them," she told Ed with a glare. Al was obviously befuddled.

"What?"

"He only gave you two of his threes. He actually has three of them. That's why you're having such a hard time, Al. He's cheating." She said, exposing Edward's plot.

"Brother!" the younger Elric exclaimed as his sibling laid his cards on the table. "I thought that you said you wouldn't do that anymore!"

"I said that I wouldn't cheat in whatever game it was that we were playing at the time. I said nothing about any other game," he said confidently, leaning back against the train bench. Karmyn had since moved back to sit with Al once again, finding that he was slightly better company. Not that she was saying she didn't like Ed or anything.

She watched as the Elrics shuffled their cards again, their game having been stopped short due to unfair play. "Hey," she suggested, "Do you know how to play Golf?"

"What brought that on?" Ed asked, mystified at the seemingly random non-sequitur. "It's not like we can play here . . ."

"Sure we can. It's perfectly possible," she insisted, mentally cringing at the alliteration.

"How the hell does one play Golf on a train?" He was getting agitated at not understanding what she was talking about. "Do you _want_ to destroy government property?"

"Brother? Maybe you should just let her explain," Al broke in.

"Thank you, Al. It's quite simple really, Golf is a card game," she explained, and went into the details of how it was played. _(This is real and a really awesome card game. For more information, you can go to_ _http :/ www. pagat. com / draw /golf .html # nine. They're playing the nine-card game, which is what I learned.)_

-o-O-o-

Karmyn was having so much fun playing cards with the boys that it took her mind off of the creeper from a few hours earlier. However, when they finished their game (Ed didn't cheat this time!), her apprehension returned. Looking down at the picture she drew, she remembered what she was going to ask Ed.

"Hey, Ed? Do you recognize this guy?" she asked, holding the picture out for him to see. Taking it from her, he scanned it thoughtfully. _At least my artwork isn't so bad,_ she thought gratefully. _Then again, I'm talking about the guy who can't draw to save his life _. . . she added, remembering his illustration of Envy.

"Yeah, I think General Bastard said something about sending a couple soldiers with us to Briggs . . . this guy must be one of them. I don't know him personally- he must have joined after we left. I think this guy is Captain Gabe Neidel . . ." he said, trailing off, "The other man was Lieutenant Devon Yaddlethorpe."

_Gabe Neidel,_ she thought with a shudder. _Even his name sounds criminal . . ._ she completely dismissed Devon Yaddlethorpe from her mind- he didn't seem important. "I don't like this Captain Noodle person," she said, purposely getting his name wrong. It made him seem less creepy, and it almost made her smile.

"Captain Noodle, huh?" Al asked, smiling at her with laughter in his eyes.

"Yup. Neidel is just . . . creepy," she said with a small shiver. She had the sudden urge to wave her arms in the air, such as how Edward and Izumi had when they were explaining the Gate to Al in FMA: Brotherhood. However, she kept the feeling contained and her arms still. "He looks like Kimblee and Archer . . . combined."

"Well, he's still in the military, and the General sent him with us, so he can't be all that bad," Edward said, tossing the paper back down onto the table. "Besides, we just got back, isn't it too early for us to be suspicious of everyone that's a little creepy?" He may have sounded cheerful and confident, but underneath his brash tones lay one that wasn't quite as discernable. Was that . . . uncertainty? Karmyn couldn't tell.

"You're right," she said, forcing a small laugh. "We can't be suspicious of everyone, right?" She internally winced as she realized that she had said 'right' twice. _It's not like it can be helped now_, she thought, brushing it away.

The three of them remained silent for the hour that remained of the trip. The dim light within the train car was eerie, yet oddly comforting as well. Putting her iPod, papers and pen back into her brown leather brief/suitcase, Karmyn shifted in her seat, willing the ride to be over.

"This is us," Ed said suddenly when the train came to a halt. Karmyn slid out of the booth, allowing Al to step in front of her. She nervously followed the Elrics to the door, where she stepped off of the train and onto the station platform. The crisp winter air hit her skin and filled her lungs, and she was happy to finally be off the train.

_This is it,_ she thought, _this is where it all began. It's where it began for them, and . . ._ she paused, letting the information sink in. _This is where it will truly begin for me._

As she heard the soft yet loud _chuggachuggachugga_ of the train departing from the station, she also felt the last ties to her old life slowly drift away with it.

"Are you ready?" Al asked, turning towards her. She nodded.

"Yes."

-o-O-o-

_Boku wa yuku yo mada minu sekai e._

_I'm going to a yet- unseen world._

-o-O-o-

_Yay! You finally get your chapter! Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed it! Creeper guy's name is revealed!_

_Sayonara!_


	28. 28 December, 1916 Cont III

_Anotha chapta . . . dun dun duuuuun! _

_I . . . don't really have all that much to say in this authors' note, but . . . thank you. Thank you for sticking with me throughout this story, and to those who just decided to read this today, thank you for clicking on the blue hyperlink and reading it all the way through. It's all you visitors (especially my reviewers) that keep me updating at the rate I am. Is this too cheesy?_

_Edward Elric: Cheese is good!_

_Me: You sound like a mouse . . ._

_Edward: WHO ARE YOU CALLIN' SO SHORT HE COULD DROWN IN A RAINDROP!_

_Me: . . . O.O; (sweatdrop) I said nothing about your height. Or raindrops . . . Besides . . . I'm a freaking quarter inch shorter than you are! (I'm 4' ¾") If I called you short-_

_Edward: Grr . . ._

_Me: Then I'd be calling myself short as well! And I don't appreciate that! So . . . be quiet._

_Sorry about that . . . AAANNNYYYHOW . . . Thank you._

_**I have a new goal: 200 reviews by the time I get to chapter forty-someodd! (Yes- there will be forty-someodd chapters. More than, actually) Can we (well, you) do it?**_

-o-O-o-

**28 December, 1916**

The three teens walked down the desolate platform to where two other men were standing in military gear. _So, Ed was right . . . Captain Noodle was assigned to us . . . along with that other guy . . . what was his name again?_ She regretted not listening when Ed told her.

Resembool station wasn't much more than a single platform with a small wooden building attached. Two streetlamps, one on either side of the platform, cast a dim glow over the area. The yellowish light was just enough to see by. The soft winter wind caused a slight _whoosh_ing sound, and Karmyn shivered. It seemed too . . . surreal. The breeze picked up ice crystals that had been lying on the ground, whipping them against the five individuals that stood upon the dark station. Karmyn felt the little pinpricks of cold hit her skin- the only thing that kept her from believing it was a dream.

Edward's voice called her to her new reality. "Karmyn, come meet Captain Neidel and Lieutenant Yaddlethorpe!" he said, waving her over. She hadn't noticed that she had stopped mid-station, and that they had kept going.

_Yaddlethorpe. That was it,_ she remembered. She walked over to where the two men were standing. "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Yaddlethorpe, Mr. Neidel," _Noodle_, she thought shaking both men's hands. She suppressed a shudder as she took Neidel's. She still didn't trust him. "I'm Karmyn Dallas."

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Dallas," Yaddlethorpe said with a smile. Although she couldn't make out what he looked like, she could already tell that she was going to like this man.

"We've met," were the oily words that left Neidel's mouth. Karmyn grimaced, knowing that they couldn't see her in the dark.

"Yes," she said, trying not to betray her true emotions.

Ed stretched his arms over his head and yawned. "We should probably get moving- It'll take about half an hour to get to Winry and Pinako's from here," he said, picking up his travel case. _(Is it a suitcase or a briefcase? What the hell should I call it?)_ Al did the same. As Karmyn was still holding hers, the three of them started the trek up the long dirt road to the Rockbell residence.

Some might have minded the thirty minute uphill hike in the cold winter night, but Karmyn was happy to be able to finally stretch her legs. She still hung behind the Elrics, not completely comfortable enough to walk with them. Mentally, she kicked herself, knowing that they wouldn't mind. Yet, somehow, she couldn't bring herself to join them completely. Yaddlethorpe and Neidel walked a ways behind her. If one were to look down at them from an aerial position, they would have looked like the layout of the side of a die with five dots.

Shifting her case to her other hand, she looked up from where she had fixed her gaze on the road in front of her feet. She was relieved when she found that she could still see Edward's bright red ankle-length flamel-adorned jacket. _You know, I'll never complain about that thing again,_ she thought. _It makes him much easier to see!_ Beside his brother was Alphonse, who wore a jacket very similar to the one that Ed was wearing. His, however, was brown and not as flashy. Karmyn remembered from the train ride that his had the flamel design as well, although they were smaller and located on his shoulders- the same place where they had been painted when he was in his suit of armor.

Preoccupied with her thoughts, Karmyn was surprised when she saw light ahead of them. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that it was from the windows of a large yellow house. _We're here,_ she realized. Suddenly, she felt extremely weary. The long hours on the train and the hike up the hill had suddenly caught up to her. _What time is it, anyways?_ It had to be at least ten o' clock. Suddenly, the ground in front of the house was bathed in light. Squinting, she saw that the door had been opened. Standing in the doorway was a silhouette. Karmyn could see that the figure was tall, had long hair and . . . a wrench . . .

_Winry,_ she thought. From up ahead of her, she thought she heard an 'aw, crap,' but she couldn't be sure.

"EDWAAARD!" A ferocious yell was heard coming from the house, and suddenly a large metal object was flying towards said person's head.

**Fortunately**, Ed ducked.

_**Un**_**fortunately**, that was the last thing Karmyn registered before blacking out.

-o-O-o-

When she came to, she found herself lying on a couch in a brightly lit room. "Nng," she grunted softly, moving to sit up. As she did so, a small bag of ice fell onto her lap. _That's right . . ._ she remembered, _Ed ducked . . ._

At that moment, a feminine figure came in through the doorway. "Oh, you're awake," she said, entering the room. Karmyn turned towards the source of the noise. "Sorry about that," Winry apologized. "I didn't mean to hit you."

Karmyn smiled weakly. "It's okay," she said, wincing at the throbbing spot on her crown. "If it's anyone's fault, it's Ed's. He's the one who ducked."

"That's true," Winry laughed. "How long have you known Edward and Alphonse?" she asked curiously.

Karmyn had to think for a while. They had met on the first day of school . . . which would've been August thirty-first . . . they had skipped a couple months when they arrived here . . . She mentally calculated how long that had been. "Almost three weeks," she told the other girl. _Wow, three weeks? Has all this really happened in only three weeks?_ Somehow, she couldn't wrap her head around it. "I'm Karmyn, by the way."

"Yes, Ed told me. Karmyn Dallas, right?"

Karmyn nodded, raising her hand to her head, feeling where the wrench hit her. It stung a little bit, and she quickly removed her hand. _Not the smartest plan there, Karmyn_, she told herself. "Yeah," she said. "And you're Winry Rockbell. I feel as if we've already met."

"Have those boys been talking about me?" Winry asked, her hands on her hips. She was wearing her purple jumpsuit, although at this time of the year, it was all the way on, and not tied around her hips. Karmyn grinned.

"You could say that." She'd peg it on them. She felt like getting back at Ed for ducking, and it was an easier explanation than 'I-come-from-a-different-dimension-where-you're-fiction-and-I-know-everything-about-you.' The second one kinda sounded stalkerish . . .

Winry grinned, holding out a hand to help Karmyn up. "I think we're gonna be friends," she announced. "Now then, I bet you three are hungry. I'd be surprised if Ed hasn't already ransacked the pantry. You wanna help me make something?"

"If it means that the pantry is safe from being ransacked by blondes in red overcoats, then yes! For the cause!" she mock-cheered, putting her fist into the air. Both girls laughed.

-o-O-o-

When Edward and Alphonse made their way back into the kitchen, along with Pinako Rockbell, they found Winry and Karmyn hard at work making stew. The two girls were laughing and talking, and generally having a good time.

"Is that stew?" Ed asked eagerly, "I love stew! Whoever thought of it was a genius! It has milk, and yet it still tastes good!"

"We know," they said in unison, turning to him. They glanced at each other and laughed.

Karmyn turned off the stove, allowing the pot of hot stew to cool. Winry grabbed a few bowls from the cupboards, and the two of them quickly served everyone. Ed dug into his with wild abandon. He was halfway finished before anyone else had even started.

"Pig," Winry muttered, causing him to choke on the large mouthful that he had just taken. After that, he slowed down, albeit only a little as she stood up. Walking over to the refrigerator, she grabbed the milk. Pouring everyone a glass, she set them on the table before sitting down again. Everyone took one but Ed, and Karmyn sipped gratefully as she watched Winry's attempts at getting him to drink it.

"DO YOU WANT TO BE SHORT ALL YOU LIFE?" She yelled, losing her temper.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE CAN FINDE SHADE UNDER A BLADE OF GRASS!" He yelled back. Karmyn sighed and Al just watched the two go at it. Pinako didn't care.

Exchanging a glance with Alphonse, Karmyn spoke. "Stop it, you two," she said calmly in a loud tone. Both parties turned to look at her. Smirking, she looked Edward in the eye. "You know, milk is a good source of calcium. Calcium helps your bones. If you don't get enough calcium, then when you get older, there's a high chance you'll suffer from osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is the deterioration of your bone mass."

"And this means . . ." Ed prompted, still confused at where this was going.

"It _means_," she said pausing. She knew how to play his weaknesses. "That you'll grow _shorter_, not taller."

His eyes widened. "I'm NOT SHORT!" He protested. Karmyn smirked some more.

"But you will be," she said knowingly.

He gaped like a fish out of water for a few seconds before grabbing the glass. He downed it in one gulp, screwing up his face in displeasure. "There's no way in HELL I'm gonna let that happen!" he said loudly. Everyone except Karmyn stared. The new girl had just gotten Edward to drink _milk_, and that was no easy feat!

Karmyn just grinned. She had had a feeling that that would work.

-o-O-o-

_Aaand . . . cut. I think that would be a good place to end it._

_I looked up Winry's birthday . . . and realized something . . . apparently they were born in 1899. If it's 1921 now, then they _should_ be 22 years old . . . but they're not, they're only 17 . . . O.O KarmaHope messed up somewhere . . . but can we overlook it for the sake of the story? _**I fixed that mistake- it's no longer a problem.**

_Yes . . . I remember hearing about osteoporosis, and I was like, _I bet that would motivate Ed to drink his milk! _So I remembered that, and put it in._

_Sooo . . . until next time!_

_Sayonara!_


	29. 29 December, 1916

_Uhn . . . tired . . . but I'll write this chapter anyways . . ._

_My sis is having a sleepover with her friends . . . *cringes at noise* I had some friends over, but . . . they couldn't stay. Ah, well. You take what you can get, right?_

Anyways, the three of us were working on **Project Falchemy**, an **epic FMAtastical secret** that is going to be **unveiled in the next year or two**! If you wanna **help make this project a grand success**, (**and** to be one of the **first ones to hear the news** about it!) you can join _**http:/ projectfalchemy . webs . com**__._ As for what Project Falchemy actually is, **think AVPM or AVPS** by Starkid . . . you should get the right idea!

_But really, how successful it's gonna be is up to you!_

_Enough of the advertisationment (Like the word?). I should get on with writing the story . . . _

_Oh! I have sent my epical drawings with my friend so that she can scan them for me! Meaning you'll be able to see them soon!_

_And happy birthday, PurplePantherOfDoom. This chapter's for you!_

_Okay, now for the story. Sorry if the next few chapters are somewhat slow. There isn't much to do in Resembool, anyways . . ._

-o-O-o-

**29 December, 1916**

That night, Edward and Alphonse had slept in Ed's old room, Karmyn had shared Winry's room, and the soldiers had been housed in the guest room down the hall. At first, it had creeped Karmyn out, having the men sleeping so nearby. She then realized that if one of them _had_ tried anything, Winry would be quick with her wrench. If that didn't work, it would give them enough time to yell their brains out. With the Elrics next door, they would be perfectly safe.

Fortunately, she needn't have worried.

Well, scratch that. She still didn't like Captain Noodle.

But that's not the point.

Karmyn awoke the next morning with a yawn. Counting the days, she realized that it was her fifth day since arriving in her new world. _It doesn't feel like it's been that long_, she thought, getting out of bed. Winry was already gone, having left some of her clothes out for Karmyn to wear. She appreciated the offer, but luckily they had gone shopping before their trip- she had clothes of her own.

She got dressed quickly and brushed her hair before heading downstairs, where she found a couple pieces of toast on the counter _(A/N- did they even have toast in Amestris? They must, I mean, it would be a sad world without toast!)_. Grabbing one, she slapped on the offered butter and jam. She stuck it in her mouth as she closed the lid of the jam jar, holding the slice of bread between her teeth. She moved quickly, placing both butter and jam back into the refrigerator so that they wouldn't spoil. After closing the refrigerator door, she ripped it out of her mouth, taking a large bite.

She carried her toast with her as she wandered through the rest of the house, looking for either of the Elric brothers or Winry. It felt strange being the only one in a house that she was unfamiliar with. Okay, so, it was kinda familiar . . . but still. She had never been there _in person_ before.

Toast in hand, she peeked around doors and down hallways. She had to admit- it was kind of fun poking around the Rockbell house. There was so much more to it than what the anime had shown. She was halfway through the crispy slice of bread when she heard voices. Curious, she followed the sound. Of course it would lead to the only door that she hadn't touched yet.

Gingerly, she placed her hand on the doorknob and turned, peering inside. Just inside the doorway was a set of stairs, which Karmyn presumed lead to the basement. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she began to descend the steps. As she got further underneath the house, the voices grew louder. _Of course,_ she thought, mentally scolding herself. _They'd be looking at Edward's limbs. That was the whole point of the visit!_

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she carefully poked her head around the corner. Her breakfast was still in her hand, forgotten for the time being. Finally, she could see Winry, Edward, Alphonse and Pinako. Ed was lying on the table, stripped down to his boxers. Karmyn fought the urge to blush. _It's just like seeing a guy in swim trunks,_ she thought. Not that it helped much- she had never had any guy friends to see in swim trunks . . . okay, enough about her fail of a social life.

It was Pinako that first noticed her hovering. "Come in, dear. We don't bite," she called. Karmyn blushed, although this time it was for getting caught. _At least it'll cover a blush for any other reason,_ she thought with something like relief.

"Sorry," she mumbled, apologizing. "I decided to look around when I couldn't find anybody . . ."

"It's perfectly fine," the old lady reassured her, "It's not like we have much to hide in this house."

"That Karmyn?" Ed asked, unable to see her due to lying face down on the table. Karmyn sighed and rolled her eyes.

"No, it's the Muffin Man," she said. "Of course it's me!"

"Good morning, Karmyn," Alphonse greeted her. She smiled back at him.

"Morning." Suddenly, she remembered her toast and stuffed it back into her mouth. It was at that moment that Pinako asked her a question.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Mmpphhff," Karmyn said, holding up a finger. She swallowed, and could answer. "Yes, thank you."

"These prosthetics are _amazing_!" Winry exclaimed, going into her own little world. "You can't tell that they're fake and they're not even metal! What _is _this substance?" she asked excitedly. Karmyn answered her.

"Plastic," she called out from the back of the room.

"Plastic? I've never heard of that," Winry stated in confusion.

"Well, it's kinda hard to explain," Karmyn backpedaled.

"Forget about the plastic. I just want automail back. These things will be no good for fighting with," Ed muttered into the table. Karmyn could've laughed.

"Are you sure?" Winry asked hesitantly. "You don't even have your ports anymore, it's gonna be more difficult . . . it's the same as getting it for the first time. You want to go through that again?"

Karmyn leaned against the back wall next to Alphonse, somewhat interested in what Edward had to say. She was pretty sure she already knew the answer, though.

Ed gritted his teeth. "If I have to, then yes. I do."

Winry raised an eyebrow. "I really don't understand you sometimes, but-" she sighed. "I know that as soon as you make up your mind, nothing will change it. I'll start working on the designs . . ."

"Great!" Ed said, sitting up. He stretched and grinned. Karmyn diverted her eyes to the floor, becoming very interested in a dark spot about two feet away from her foot.

-o-O-o-

In the evening, Karmyn and Winry decided to take a walk in the cool winter air, getting away from the house and certain people in it. Not that Karmyn didn't like those certain people. However, Winry had spent the entire day drawing plans for Ed's automail, and she needed to get out. Karmyn had volunteered to go with her.

The two of them walked in silence down the Resembool road, enjoying the near-silence of the night. "Hey, Winry," Karmyn said suddenly, "When Ed gets his automail operation, is it gonna take a year for him to recover again?"

Winry looked startled. "He told you about that? Well, since he's already gone through it, he'll be used to the pain, and how it works . . . it won't take nearly as long, it will be more like a replacement, but it will take at least a month or two . . ."

Karmyn suddenly felt guilty for not telling Winry the truth. She knew the boys wouldn't tell her, but . . . shouldn't she know? It was far-fetched, but it was still the truth. A few steps later, she came to a decision. "Winry . . ." she started, "You might not believe this, but . . . Ed and Al didn't tell you exactly what happened, and- I think you should know." With that, she started telling the entire story of what had transpired over the past couple weeks and the basis of what she knew happened before the Elrics had met her. She also told her how their world was a fictional story in their world, and how it had been her favorite. In all, it took about fifteen minutes to tell.

Winry looked shellshocked. "It's okay if you don't believe me," Karmyn said, kicking at the ground. "It does sound a bit out there."

"No- I think I believe you. It seems to be too intricate of a story for someone to just make up. I'm just having a hard time wrapping my head around it. You say that they've been in an alternate dimension . . . for ninety years?"

Karmyn nodded. "Yes." It was amazing the affinity she felt towards this girl. She hadn't even felt this close to Katherine, and they had known each other for years. She was so busy thinking about this revelation that she didn't hear Winry's question.

"- like them?"

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't get that. Could you please repeat the question?"

"Do you like Edward?" Winry asked, curious. Karmyn was confused.

"Of course I do," she said. "If I didn't, then A) I wouldn't know who he was, and B) I wouldn't have helped him get back here."

Winry laughed. "Okay, so you like him. Do you _like_ like him?" _(A/N- that's a weird word if you repeat it too many times. Like like like like like . . .) _Suddenly, the meaning behind her question hit Karmyn like a barrel of bricks. She paused.

_Did_ she like him? She thought about it, running the question through her head over and over again. It was true that she saw him differently than she had any other guy she had ever met. She cared for him . . . was that the basic of 'like'? She didn't want to see him get hurt . . . the weight of the unanswered question nearly crushed her. _I don't want this to be happening!_ She thought desperately.

"I- I don't know," she admitted. "I mean, I feel differently about him, and I care for him, but . . . maybe? I don't know!" she cried.

"Well, I guess you just have to figure that out then," Winry said softly. Karmyn remembered something that she shouldn't have forgotten.

"But- _you_ like Ed, right?" she said. Winry blushed and looked down, moving to sit on one of the stone walls lining the road.

"Yeah," she said softly. "I do. But- there's not really anything I can do about it at the moment. I mean, he's always gone. There wouldn't be much room for a relationship there. You at least get to travel with them."

"Mmn-hmn," Karmyn made a noise in agreement. "The train rides kill," she said, remembering the trip over.

The two of them sat on the wall, pondering various thoughts. Time seemed irrelevant in the chilled air. Neither of them could tell how much time had passed when Winry stood up. "Come on," she said, holding a hand out to the other girl to help her up. "We should probably get back."

"Yeah," Karmyn agreed, taking the proffered hand. "Let's go."

The two girls slowly wandered back up to the large yellow house, joking and laughing the entire way. Their troublesome thoughts were pushed to the side- they could wait until another day to worry about that.

-o-O-o-

_Yeah, yeah. Well, don't get your hopes up for any pairings. A _possibility_ doesn't mean that it's gonna happen, so wait it out and see where it goes. Remember that I don't go right out and say things in my writing- I like to make you wonder. Keep that in mind. This ISN'T you average FMA fanfic, as I'm sure you've already noticed._

_Sooo . . . yeah. _

_Happy birthday, PurplePantherOfDoom! I hope you liked your present! XP_


	30. 1 January, 1917

_Hey, all. Yes, I finally got back around to writing this one again. (What? Whaddaya mean 'finally?' It's only been three days!) Yeah, yeah. _

_Well, I started a new fic, _A Chance To Redeem One's Self._ It's centered around a fourteen-year-old Elicia Hughes. If you like Truth&Fiction, you might like that one as well . . . just sayin'._

_Soo . . . I guess I'd better get on with the story . . . XP_

-o-O-o-

**1 January, 1917**

_1.1.17_

_A new year, a new start. In some cases, it's more literal than others. Ed has his automail surgery today . . . sucks to be him. Hopefully it won't be as painful as it was the first time, considering that he's already gone through it. Winry said that that might be the case, and I'm certainly hoping so._

_She was the one who gave me this journal, earlier today. She said that I might want to document the various 'adventures' that I go on with the Elrics. 'Adventures' of course, meaning 'deadly misdemeanors' . . . but still._

_She also suggested that I write down things about my old life in here as well. And I might- just- not now. Not when only thinking of it brings me pain. I often can't help but wonder if Katherine got on okay after my disappearance. I wonder if she even still remembers me . . . It's been a week since I've ended up in this world. Back "home" two years have passed . . ._

Karmyn set her pen down on the journal that lay in her lap. _Two years_, she thought. _Two years have passed._ Her thoughts were quickly getting depressing, and tears were threatening at the corners of her eyes. Snapping the journal shut, she placed it down onto the kitchen table. She quickly wiped her eyes clear of any liquid that they might be holding, and went to find someone, _any_one to talk to.

She found Ed sitting on the operating table, sans his arm and leg. It was weird, seeing him that way. Even weirder than in the anime or manga. Then, it was just a drawing. Now, he was an actual person, and it looked . . . odd. That was one word for it.

"Pleasant New Years' present isn't it," she commented leaning against the wall. Ed looked up.

"Yeah," he said with a smirkish smile. "Pain, and then a month of being an invalid. Can't wait!" his voice took on a mock- enthusiastic tone. Karmyn couldn't help but smile back.

"Still- a month is better than a year," she said, pointing out the obvious.

"True," he agreed. "And then I'll be back on my feet- just like the old days!"

"Except the 'old days' contained a lot of danger and Homunculi and evil guys. Do you think Amestris is still like that?" she asked curiously. He shrugged nonchalantly.

"It's possible. The homunculi are gone, but that doesn't mean that the country is safe. We have no way of knowing if all of the corrupted officials are out of the government, even with Fuhrer Grumman in office. Given enough time, they could surely formulate some sort of plan to regain control of the military . . . I don't know. I just don't know."

Karmyn stood silent, contemplating what he had said. It was true. They _did_ have no way of knowing whether the government was uncorrupted or not. It was one more thing that they had to add to their list of 'Do Not Trust.' On hers, it came right after the entry 'Captain Noodle.' Even after days of staying under the same roof as him, she didn't trust the man. Sure, he didn't do anything suspicious, but that alone wasn't enough to shake her distrust.

A few minutes later, Winry and Pinako entered the basement, carrying with them the things they would need for the surgery. Karmyn shivered as she caught sight of the pointed objects and metal parts. She had never done well in hospital environments. She could do a research lab with people in white coats, but put her in a hospital with people in white coats, and she started to get antsy.

"I'm sorry," she said, excusing herself, "I'll go so that you can do your work." She eyed the tray of tools and metal nervously. Winry immediately understood.

"Alright. If it makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to stay."

"Thank you," Karmyn whispered before climbing up the stairs. One she reached the main hallway of the house, she paused. She knew that she didn't want to be inside when the operation took place, remembering that it often consisted of loud screams. She didn't know if Ed would scream now, but . . . still. She shuddered.

She quickly ran upstairs, pulling on a long-sleeved shirt over the tank top she wore. It may have been warm in the house, but outside it was still quite frigid. She returned to the first floor, heading towards the front door. She paused, however, to grab her own version of the Elric coat, which the brothers had transmuted for her a few days prior, as sort of a late Christmas present/ consolation gift. She preferred the first reason.

Her coat was black, with a large grey flamel that was positioned near the hemline. When it was closed all the way, it was located just to the left of the opening, resting in the corner of the jacket. It was already her most prized possession, right after her iPod. Her wallet had been reduced to third. She slid the coat on, attaching the fastener that lay at the top. Having done so, she retrieved her iPod from where she had last left it and exited the house.

She turned her iPod on, placing the earbuds in her ears. She set it to a favorite album and turned the volume way down low before she placed the pink rectangle into the special pocket on the inside of her jacket. She had been thrilled when she realized that Ed and Al had done that for her.

Taking her time, she wandered down to the bank of the river that ran through Resembool. It was frozen over, but she could still hear the trickle of water that sounded from underneath the glistening layer of ice. It was relaxing, listening to both her music and the river at the same time. Finding a tree relatively near the running water, she sat against it and closed her eyes.

-o-O-o-

She didn't know how long it had been before she heard the crunching of feet through snow. Opening her eyes, she looked up to see Alphonse looking down at her. "Oh, hi!" she said, pulling the earbuds out of her ears, silencing the music. "Am I in the way?"

"Karmyn? What're you doing out here?" he asked. The question wasn't rude, it simply expressed confusion.

"Probably the same as you," she admitted. "I wanted to get out while Ed was having his surgery."

Al nodded. "May I sit?" he asked, gesturing to the tree.

Karmyn shifted over. "Of course," she said, making room beside her. She waited as he moved to sit against the tree, making himself comfortable. There were a few minutes of silence before either of them spoke again.

"I can't believe Brother decided to go through with this again. I mean, I can, but . . ."

"But you think that it isn't worth the trouble. He already had perfectly good prosthetics, and so he doesn't need to go through the surgery and rehabilitation again."

Al nodded. Seeing that, Karmyn continued. "But you see, it _was_ necessary. Those twenty-first century prosthetics wouldn't hold up in a fight. I know that Amestris isn't the same country it used to be, but knowing Ed, it would be impossible for him not to get into a fight. His automail was his main weapon. If he tried to fight with his modern limbs, they would have just broken, and he would've needed to get automail again anyways. And by that point in time, we might not be able to afford the month that it will take for him to recover."

She looked over at her friend, who was thinking about what she had said. "I guess you're right," he admitted. "I hadn't really thought of it that way . . . wait, you said 'we.' You're still coming with us?"

Karmyn laughed. "Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"

"I dunno," Al said quietly. "I guess I just assumed that you would be staying here. I mean, you're already good friends with Winry, and it's much safer being here than travelling with us . . ." he paused before grinning playfully. "Besides, then you wouldn't have to live through the two day train ride to North City with us!"

At that, she lightly punched his arm, smiling as well. "Idiot. Sure, I'm friends with Winry, and it's safer, and I'd escape those impossibly long, impossibly boring train rides, but really- I think I would quickly get bored if I stay here. I want to see Amestris. I want to travel with you guys. Although if you really want me to stay here, I guess I could . . . I would probably only cause problems for you anyways."

Al was quick to wave his hands in the air in front of his face. "No, no! Don't get me wrong! I'd love for you to come, but really . . . it's up to Brother."

Karmyn smiled. "Yeah, I guess so. And I have one question- why do you always call him 'Brother?' Why don't you ever use his name? Not that I'm saying that it's bad or anything! I'm just . . . curious."

He shrugged. "I guess that's just what I called him when we were younger, and I never got out of the habit. Now it just seems wrong . . . you know?"

She shook her head regretfully. "Actually, no. I've never had a sibling, so I wouldn't know . . . sorry," she apologized.

"Don't worry about it," came the reassuring response.

Once again, there were a few minutes of silence.

"The river sounds nice," Karmyn commented, breaking the peaceful silence.

"Yeah," Al agreed. "When I was younger I always used to come out here when I needed to be alone. It was one of my favorite spots to be."

"I can understand that!" she exclaimed. "If I had lived here, it would be one of my favorite spots as well."

"Nice, isn't it?" Al asked.

"Mmn-hmn," she agreed, leaning further back against the tree and closing her eyes once again.

After that, there was no need for any more words. The two of them sat there in the crisp winter air, listening to the river run beneath the ice. Life was good. Karmyn kept her eyes shut, but not quite falling asleep, comfortable in the calming atmosphere. That is- until-

_Thwap!_

An icy-cold object hit the side of her face, shattering and sprinkling her entire body. Her eyes immediately shot open and she wiped off her face. She looked over in the direction from where the projectile hit her, to see Alphonse standing there with a wide grin on his face, another snowball in one hand.

"Hey!" she protested. "That wasn't fair!"

"All's fair in war," he said, grinning like a maniac. He tossed the snowball up in the air before catching it and pelting it at Karmyn once again.

This time, she ducked, and instead of hitting her face, it shattered upon her black coat. "Alright," she said, "You're on."

The two of them moved to a safer location. Neither of them wanted to be the one to test whether the ice was safe enough to walk on. There was a fifty-fifty chance that it would give way and that they would be forced into taking an icy bath.

Karmyn quickly got to work making snowballs. Fortunately, she had remembered to bring gloves with her when she left the house. She was making her tenth when she realized that Alphonse hadn't moved. "Don't you need to create your snowballs?" she asked. She regretted doing so when he smiled.

"I'm going to." With that, he clapped his hands and placed them against the snow, forming around twenty snowballs. He did it again in a different location, and then again. Soon, he had nigh on a hundred snowballs at his disposal. Karmyn looked down at her measly fifteen.

"Crud," muttered under her breath as Al picked up the first one and chucked it. She managed to dodge it, but it forced her away from her own pile of snowballs.

She had no time to get back to her own arsenal as Al kept chucking them at her. At first, many of them splatted against her as she was too slow to dodge them, however, as he got through to the second half of his supply, she had gotten much better at not getting hit.

Running out of breath, she dove and dodged frantically, not wanting to get hit by any more of the round projectiles. She was already cold enough, thank you. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he was down to his last snowball. He chucked it at her head, and she simply sank to the ground in exhaustion, allowing it to soar harmlessly above her.

"Okay, okay! You win that one!" she said, flopping back onto the ground. She stared up at the sky, examining the little white fluffy clouds.

"No, actually, I think by the end of that it was actually a draw. You never got to hit me, but I never hit you, either."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she said. "Anyhow, I'm not gonna move for a little while. I'm exhausted after that."

"Sounds good to me," he said, as he landed in the snow next to her, falling onto his back as well.

Poor Edward had been completely forgotten.

-o-O-o-

_And there. That was actually a really long chapter of . . . well . . . practically nothing important. XP_

_Actually, it was pretty important . . . you get cookies and a mention if you can figure out why! (It's towards the end, hinthint.)_

_So . . . Write to ya next chapter!_

_Sayonara!_


	31. 15 January, 1917

_Soooo . . . I just did a page count . . . For this story, I have written __**189 pages**__. O.O; that's a _lot_ of pages . . . I'll give you a count at the end of this chapter as well . . . _

_This is chapter 25, in reality, so the next chapter will be an Elric intervention. Are people happy with that? Actually, too bad- I'm doing it anyways._

_Sorry about the little delay in this one (if you can call it that- it feels like it). I kinda hit a rock wall after the last chapter, but I think I got it figured out now . . ._

_I thought a disclaimer wasn't completely necessary, as this is FAN fiction, so why would the person who owns the matter be writing it here when they could publish it and get millions of dollars? HOWEVER, I was just informed by my friends that it was needed as a 'legal matter.' -.-" Sooo . . . let me make it clear. I DO NOT OWN FMA. Sheesh. Are people happy now? This was a waste of space . . ._

_If you like this story, please check out _**A Chance To Redeem One's Self**. _I think you'd enjoy that one as well, and I need to know if I should continue or not . . ._

_I've reached the apocalypse. I don't have any more awesome FMA fanfiction stories of a good length to read any more . . . I've read them all . . . ;; (Japanese emoticon for tears)_

**AND I JUST GOT MY SCANS!** _YAY! I uploaded the pic of Captain Neidel onto deviantart: _

http :/ the-turtle-alchemist . deviantart . com / # / d4729zt

_I have a pic of Ed and Al, and also one of Karmyn, but they kinda contain spoilers . . . so I won't post them yet!_

_Anyhow . . . I should get on with the story, shouldn't I?_

_**Yes I changed the date! I screwed up, so I fixed it. I WILL go back and fix all the others- most likely by the end of tomorrow. THIS WOULD BE THE CORRECT DATE!**_

-o-O-o-

**15 January 1917**

Karmyn slowly opened the door to Edward's room, knocking lightly on the wood. When she peered inside, she saw the blonde teen sitting up in his bed, his back resting against the headboard. He held an open book in his hand, but it had been forgotten, the boy's attention instead drawn towards the window.

"How're you feeling?" she asked softly, startling her friend. His head turned sharply towards the source of the noise before relaxing. He smirked softly.

"Better," he replied. Karmyn rolled her eyes. That had been the only answer that anyone had gotten from him ever since he had first woken up. His words then had been 'like a pair of chimeras used my limbs as chew toys.' Ever since then, it had been 'better.'

"Well, that's good to hear," she replied with a smile. Sighing, she continued. "It must get boring, being confined to a bed like this when you're used to moving around a lot."

Edward moved his head in a non-committal gesture. "Yeah, a bit," he said, "but it'll help in the long run. I just have to get through these next three months, and then it'll be over. I have to look forward to that."

_Makes sense_, Karmyn thought. _Better get it over now, and then it'll be out of the way. I think if I were in the same position, I would think the same way._ "What'cha reading?" she asked curiously, referring to the book that was resting in his lap.

"Oh, this?" he asked, flipping the cover closed while keeping his place. Walking closer, she leaned over so that she could read the title.

"Introduction to Alchemy?" she read with a question riding her voice. "Isn't that a bit . . . basic for you?" she asked uncertainly.

"Well, yeah," he said, "But really, it's been ninety years since I've seriously practiced alchemy. It wouldn't hurt to refresh my memory for a bit." He opened the book once again, returning to the page that he had been reading. Intrigued at what the book had to say, Karmyn leaned a little closer, reading over the older boy's shoulder.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that Ed realized what she was doing. "You understand this?" he asked, looking back at her. She shrugged, trying to keep her eyes off his face. She hadn't yet forgotten her nighttime conversation with Winry two weeks beforehand. Instead, she kept her gaze focused on the book in front of her.

"Somewhat," she said. "You have to remember that I've spent hours on the internet back . . . on the other side, reading about this stuff online, in the manga, and in the animes. I've also grown up with chemistry, which is really what the basis of alchemy is . . ." She shrugged. "Oh, well. It's not like it helps me any, what with me being from the other side and all."

She stood straight again, stretching out her back. Once she was upright, she looked out the window that Ed had been staring out of a few minutes before. She could see why. The view of the snow-laden Resembool fields was stunning. The bright sun glinted off the shiny ice crystals, creating a dazzling sea of white. Apparently, her amazement showed on her face.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked, interrupting her thoughts. She nodded dumbly.

"Yeah," she admitted, turning to him. "There was never anything this pretty back in Boston," she admitted. "I was raised a city girl- I've never really been out in the countryside." Turning back to the scenery, she sighed. "It's amazing. I can't believe you grew up here."

Ed laughed. "It really is quite quiet. Spend the first eleven years of your life here, and it gets old pretty fast."

"That's one thing I never had to deal with in the city- there was always something interesting going on," Karmyn said.

Another sharp knock at the door surprised both of them as Al stuck his head in. "Hey, Brother. How-"

"Better," both Ed and Karmyn replied in a bored tone, nearly in unison. Karmyn struggled to keep a straight face, but one look at the younger brother's expression destroyed that notion. She burst out laughing.

"You should've seen your face!" she said between breaths, "Priceless!"

Apparently, her laughter was contagious, as both the Elrics soon started laughing as well. Unfortunately, she couldn't tell if they were laughing with her or _at_ her. Not that it really mattered, as she couldn't do anything about it. It was a wonder that Winry or Granny Pinako didn't come up the stairs to investigate what was going on.

When the ruckus finally died down, Karmyn went to the back of the room and grabbed a couple of extra boxes that had been left there. Pulling them up, she positioned them so that she and Al could sit and still be able to have a discussion with Ed. She had considered sitting on the floor, but she really didn't want a crick in her neck.

_Not that one more sore would matter_, she thought. A couple days after first day, she had challenged Alphonse to a rematch for the snowball fight, not being one who liked to lose. Unfortunately, it hadn't been her best call. She had ended up dodging hundreds of balls again while being unable to land a single one on her friend. It was after that that Al had created a new rule:

Snowballs that hit her arms didn't count. She had quickly discovered that she could block incoming balls that she wouldn't be able to avoid otherwise. They had also come up with a fairer scoring system. It was quite simple: If she blocked or dodged more than half of his snowballs, she won. If he hit her with more than half of his snowballs, he won.

Meaning that the odds were a little better than they had been that first day.

However, it wasn't easy, and it had quickly left her sore. That's what she had meant when she thought that one more sore wouldn't matter.

She and the two Elrics talked amiably, discussing random topics or telling old stories. It was rather fun hearing about all of their old adventures from their point of view. It was amazing how much the story changed, took on new meaning. She was also informed of some of their experiences since landing on her . . . the other side of the Gate in 1921. She found some of them to be quite hilarious, and expressed her opinion when she saw fit.

In return, she told them stories from her childhood. She told them of the one time when she was eight that she somehow made the chemicals in her child's chemistry set explode, even though they supposedly couldn't. Both Ed and Al found that one funny. She told them of her friends before Katherine Weiss, and of other random events that had found their way into her life.

Winry overheard them talking together when she went to call Alphonse and Karmyn down for lunch. She was amazed that the three of them were so close. As far as she knew, other than her, they had never let anyone in so close to them. She remembered Karmyn's explanation that she had given that night on Resembool road. _I guess I would let someone in after something like that as well,_ she thought.

She was happy that her two childhood friends had found someone that they could confide in, even if that person wasn't her.

-o-O-o-

"Karmyn," Al said that night as the both of them leaned on the porch railing that night, "I've been talking to Brother, and I think we both agreed on something."

"Oh really?" she asked, pulling her black Elric jacket closer around her, keeping out the chilled winter air. "And what would that be?"

He sighed. "It's gonna take Brother at least until the end of March to fully recover. He said that he could be up and about before then, but he wants to be fully functional before going back on military duty."

"Mmn-hmn," Karmyn made a noise in acknowledgement. She was slightly confused as to what it had to do with her, but she decided that it would be best to hear her friend out.

"Well, the bottom line is that he doesn't want to keep you here for the next few months, and I agreed. It isn't fair to you. Brother thought that we could use this time for you to become more acquainted with Amestris, considering that you're gonna be staying here for-" he paused, looking towards her warily. She guessed that he didn't want to say something that would hurt her. She sighed.

"For the rest of my life, yes." She finished the unspoken thought. She then took some time to go over thoughts of her own. "Is this really okay? I mean, I don't want to leave Ed here all on his own . . ."

"He wouldn't be on his own," Al said with a twinkle in his eyes. "He's got Winry!"

Karmyn laughed, smirking evilly. "You're gonna get them together if it's the last thing you do, isn't that right," she said teasingly. On the inside, she was confused. She was actually _encouraging_ the EdWin relationship. If she liked Ed, wouldn't she be jealous? Inexperienced with these things, she pushed those thoughts aside.

"Don't tell _them_," he told her, making a flicking motion with his eyes towards the house. "If they figure out my plans, it'll never work!"

"Hmm . . . what a dilemma," she said, mock-seriously. "Do I work on the side of evil, or should I protect the innocent from scheming masterminds?" She continued to think, looking into the distance with her curved right index finger held to her mouth in an 'I'm-thinking-hard' pose.

Al looked horrified. "You wouldn't-" he said as Karmyn began to chuckle.

"Ya know what? I don't feel a real alliance towards either side. I think I'm just gonna be the awkward bystander that knows everything and laughs when she knows something that the others don't."

That brought a full-bodied laugh from the sixteen-year-old boy. "You're a real piece of work," he said jokingly.

"I know. I try," she said with a grin.

He shook his head, still smiling. "So, what about that trip around Amestris? You up for it?" he asked.

"I guess I'll have to be. If there's one thing I know about you brothers, it's that once you agree on something, you're virtually unstoppable. I guess I'll just have to ride the wave. Besides- it sounds fun!"

"Great," he told her, "I'll tell Brother that I told you. Unfortunately, we won't be able to leave until the end of this month- both Brother and Winry want me to be here for my birthday."

"Your birthday's coming up?" Karmyn asked, "When?"

"The thirtieth," he explained. "I'll be turning seventeen."

"Guess we can't miss that," she said. "Now come on, I'm going inside. It's getting cold out here!"

-o-O-o-

_And there. I apologize for the date change, but this would be the correct date in Amestris at this time. Remember that when Ed showed up on our side of the Gate, it was a few years ahead. All the dates and whatnot work though, because they WERE in our world from 1921 to 2011, which is still 90 years. So at least I don't have to change _that_. However, I now have to go back and fix every single one of my chapters . . . O.O not looking forward to it. But I'll do it, as I'm not one to do things half-heartedly. All or nothing- I prefer 'all.'_

_None of you got the reason why the snowball fight was important, although you have seen through my plans. There's no use hiding this now. This will be an AlphonsexKarmyn / EdwardxWinry pairing story . . . but not for a while yet. The relationship between Al and Karmyn is simply platonic at the moment, but it's a close friendship, much like Harry and Hermione in Harry Potter. Don't expect any romance for a while yet . . ._

_I wrote this at a friend's house during a sleepover. It's currently 5:08 am. I haven't slept yet. And I apologize for the uber-long author's notes . . . I'm rambling. Good night! (or rather, morning . . . I fail.)_

_Sayonara!_

_(194 pages!)_


	32. 29 January, 1917

_1__Look, look. I'm sorry, alright? But . . . I just don't have the patience at the moment to write an Elric Intervention . . . I got a fifth of it done and I'm just like 'screw this. I can't do it.' Soo . . . I'm just gonna give you a real update, alright?_

_. . . so, I guess I should ask. Do you want me to continue struggling through the interventions? Or can I just continue writing the story? I might go back and write them later . . . or I'll do them if something happens that's really confusing if you don't have the other side of the picture . . . but please, forgive me._

_As a consolation gift, I grant you _**ht tp : / the-turtle-alchemist . deviantart . com /art /A-Yet-Unseen-World- 255712873.**

_I've also been watching Romeo x Juliet. IT'S EPIC. Now one of my fave animes of all time!_

_Soo . . . Moving on . . . I know I'm time-skipping a lot, but . . . -.- I just want to get on with the story. I feel that If I tried to write the little chapters, I would bore your eyes out. Soo . . . what do you want? Boring filler chapters or no?_

_(Will I get in trouble if I don't say that I do not own FMA?)_

-o-O-o-

**29 January, 1917**

Winry woke her up early that morning around seven o'clock. At first, Karmyn blinked sleepily and protested, attempting to bat her friend away from her. The scene reminded her strongly of Katherine trying to wake her up after a sleepover. She wasn't a morning person- almost anyone could attest to that.

With much persistence (and the threat of a wrench to her head) Winry managed to get the girl up. "Come on," she hissed, "We still need to make the cake!"

_The cake . . . what cake?_ she thought slowly before the realization caught up to her. _That's right- Al's birthday cake!_

The two girls had been planning this for the past couple weeks. They would get up early and get everything ready, surprising the boys when they finally woke up that morning. To think that she could have forgotten- _actually, no. It's no surprise that I forgot,_ she thought wryly.

After Winry had left the room, she got to her feet, wincing when her bare skin touched the frigid wooden floorboards. She quickly dressed, the first thing having been her socks. When she was no longer dancing on the unbearable lack of heat, she was able to continue.

Throwing her jacket over the layers that she was already wearing, she cautiously opened the door and crept out into the hall to go to the bathroom. Not wanting anyone else to wake up, she diligently avoided known creaky floorboards. She shivered as she opened the bathroom door. If there was one thing she missed about the year 2011, it was the heating in her house. 1917 heating just didn't quite cut it for her.

She quickly did what she had to do, pausing to run a brush through her hair and tie it up in a somewhat messy bun. She couldn't be bothered to do anything else to it. It didn't matter, anyways. This was a _guy's_ birthday party consisting of five people, including the old lady. If she had been going to a friend's party back . . . _there_, things would have been different.

Actually . . .

She looked at her reflection in the mirror once more. Her brain had reminded her of a hairstyle that many manga characters had been able to pull off, consisting of a small bun on one side of her head. Karmyn wondered if she might be able to somehow copy that. Thinking for a minute, she decided she had nothing to lose, and pried the band out of her hair.

It took a little longer than she would have liked, but five minutes later, she had reached 'acceptable.' She quickly pinned down the stray hairs and left the bathroom, once again exercising her caution on the floorboards.

She lightly descended the stairs, winding her way into the kitchen where Winry was waiting with the ingredients to make the birthday cake. _This'll be an interesting experience,_ Karmyn thought, eyeing the mound of ingredients. She had only ever made cake using the Betty Crocker cake mix, and even then it had been more trouble than it was worth . . .

"Come on," Winry said, beckoning the other blonde-haired girl with one hand. Karmyn advanced slowly, deciding to (unwillingly) part with her warm jacket to prevent it from getting stained with flour, egg, and other what-not. Draping it over the back of a chair, she pushed her sleeves up to her elbows.

"Winry, I'd better tell you now- I've never done this before, so . . . I may be a bit incompetent."

"You can't be too bad. Let's do this thing. Read of the list of instructions there, will ya?"

The two of them bantered back and forth as they made the cake. Actually, it was more of Winry poking fun at Karmyn's abysmal cooking skills. She couldn't crack an egg without getting shell in it, which became a problem seeing as they needed _eight_ egg yolks. The flour found its way into her hair and onto her face. Even so, Winry refused to let her step back and let the more experienced girl do it. "If you do that, you'll never learn," was the excuse that she kept pulling.

Finally, they managed to get the thing into the oven. _That _Karmyn could do. She had lived around Bunsen burners for her entire life. She could manage to avoid being burnt by the stove. When the two of them were finally able to sit down, they noticed that it was already 8:30 am.

"The cake needs to bake for half an hour," Winry said, somewhat exhausted.

Karmyn grimaced as she took in the mess that used to be the kitchen. She winced as she realized that most of it was her fault. "I guess . . . we should clean up then."

"Yeah."

-o-O-o-

When the kitchen no longer looked like Ground Zero _(A/N- Insert a moment of silence here for those lost in the 9/11/2001 attacks on the World Trade Center ten years ago Sunday.)_, Winry quietly crept up the stairs to waken the older of the Elric brothers. Karmyn decided to stay, efficiently fixing last minute details around the room. A few minutes later, the timer dinged and the cake finished baking. Grabbing a pair of oven mitts, she carefully opened the oven and extracted their creation. Setting it down on the counter, she removed the cake from the pan.

Or tried to.

She realized with a sinking sensation that she had forgotten to grease the pan before pouring the batter in. There was no possible way that she could get the cake out cleanly. Biting her cheek, she mentally scolded herself as she fought with the metal tin. (It didn't occur to her to wait until the tin cooled and she could take the oven mitts off). It took a few minutes, but at last she was standing there with the cake on the plate in front of her, the tin in her mitted hands.

The result wasn't pretty. The edges were ragged, and there was a definite sinkhole in the top of the cake. There were little punctures where she had accidentally stabbed the cake in her attempt to remove it.

_Oh, great_, she thought, _Winry's gonna kill me for messing this up. And it's Al's birthday, too! Why wouldn't she listen when I told her that I couldn't cook?_ She let out a large sigh just as Winry entered the room again, this time wheeling a still-incapacitated Edward with her.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

Not hearing them come in, Karmyn swiftly spun a 180, leaning back against the corner to support herself as she faced them. "Errrm," she said, looking down and to the left, not meeting either teen's eyes. "Yeah . . . the cake . . ."

"What about the cake?" Winry inquired curiously.

"Well, remember me telling you how I can't cook? Uhm . . ."

The other blonde looked at her through lowered lids. "Let me see it," she commanded. Reluctantly, Karmyn complied, revealing the mauled cake. She quickly moved across the room to stand with her other friend. Winry looked at the thing for a few moments, and both Ed and Karmyn were silent. Finally, she shrugged. "Ah, well. We'll just coat it in frosting and nobody will know the difference!"

The twenty-first century girl knew then that if she were in an anime, she would have sweatdropped. She remembered the FMA episode with the missing screw in Ed's automail that caused him to nearly get killed. "I'd forgotten that you were so underhanded," she muttered.

She had forgotten that she was standing next to Ed until she heard a small "Pfft." When she glanced over at him, she saw that he was fighting to hold back laughter. _He heard me_, she thought. When he looked back at her, she knew she had been caught. They exchanged a glance, and then Karmyn too was attempting to hold back peals of laughter. The duo quickly composed themselves when Winry turned back to look at them.

"Come on," she said. "What are you doing just standing there? We need to get this thing frosted!"

_Frosting. That's like painting, right?_ Karmyn thought hopefully. Maybe this wouldn't be as hard . . . "Come, Ed," she urged. "You might as well be useful."

"What? But-" he protested, "I can't! I've only got one arm! And I'm in a wheelchair!" he sputtered. Karmyn simply rolled her eyes.

"I baked a freaking _cake_, Edward. If I can do that, you can at least do some frosting." Her voice left no room for discussion, and he consented reluctantly.

-o-O-o-

" . . . Happy birthday to yoooouuuuu!"

The day had passed, and the five of them were now sitting around the dining table, having just finished dinner. The girls had brought out the (still slightly lopsided) cake, and they had sung the birthday song that Ed and Al had learned on the other side of the gate.

Al's eyes lit up, for all that he was now mentally one hundred and seven years old (physically, he was seventeen). Some things would never change. Karmyn watched as he thought for a minute before blowing out the candles in a single breath. There was general excitement around for a few minutes, and then Winry removed the cake from the table so that she could cut it on the kitchen counter. Karmyn moved a little closer to Al.

"Sorry about the cake," she said. "It's a bit lopsided . . . Winry didn't listen to me when I told her that I couldn't cook or bake . . ."

He laughed. "Really? That sounds just like her. Don't worry about it- nobody's perfect."

"Heh, thanks," she said, "And, uhm, I wasn't able to get you anything . . . so I'll repay you at some point, alright?"

"I don't need anything, but if it makes you feel better, then okay," he consented.

Winry came back then with the slices of cake. She passed one out to everyone before sitting down herself. They politely waited for Alphonse to take the first bite. He did so, and Karmyn winced at the slight _crunch_ that emanated.

"I . . . don't think we managed to get all the eggshells out," she said, flushing in embarrassment. She scooped up a bite of her own and placed it in her mouth. She nearly gagged at the taste. There was too much baking soda. And salt. "Actually, scratch that. Don't even try it." Using her fork, she poked at the thick layer of frosting that covered the horrendous mistake of a cake. She looked at it for a minute before cautiously placing some on her tongue.

She did not gag or recoil. In fact, the frosting was excellent! She scraped a forkful off of the disastrous cake and ate that instead. "Eat the frosting," she said. "The cake sucks, but the frosting's great!"

The rest of the inhabitants of the table chuckled, but did the same.

However, Karmyn couldn't help but feel as if she had singlehandedly ruined Al's first birthday back in Amestris . . . "OW!" she yelled suddenly at the feeling of a sharp pain in her shin. She looked over at the closest person- Al.

"What the hell did you do that for?" she asked indignantly.

"What? Me? I didn't do anything!" he said, a tad too innocently.

Okay, maybe she didn't feel as bad anymore . . .

-o-O-o-O-o-

_I'd like to acknowledge the ten-year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. I'd love to say some sort of profound words, but I can find none at the moment . . ._

_Sooo . . . yeah. With that done, you can tell that I didn't do an Elric Intervention. I just kinda got fed up with it, so I decided to advance the story. However, I got the first part of it done, so I might as well give it to you . . ._

-o-O-o-O-o-

**28 December, 1916**

Alphonse watched as his friend sketched out a picture of the man that had returned her wallet to her. Gradually, his facial features took shape, as well as the detail on his uniform. He had to admit- the girl was better than others that he had seen. She definitely had his brother beat by a long shot.

Across the booth, Ed was still out cold, stretched out along the wooden bench. Al wished that he had his brother's ability to sleep on trains. Back when he was still residing in his suit of armor, he _couldn't_ sleep. After he had regained his body, it had taken almost a week before he could actually sleep again. Even then it was only because he had passed out due to exhaustion. After ninety years, he had mostly regained some sense of balance. Unfortunately, since his body had continued to age at the Amestrian rate, so did his internal clock. He was still somewhat of an insomniac, and even when he did sleep he woke up at odd hours.

Luckily, the waiting for others to wake up wasn't all that bad. He had gotten used to it, and now appreciated the silence in the dead of night. His condition was also somewhat handy from time to time- in ninety years, he had caught his fair share of thieves.

Al realized that he must have zoned out for a while when Ed's snores were joined by even breathing beside him. When he looked over, he saw that Karmyn had fallen asleep over her sketch. Her pen was still in one hand, and her cheek was pressed against the thin surface. He debated waking her up, but decided against it. After what she had been through in the past few days, it was better for her to sleep.

Although he wasn't keeping track, he estimated it to be a couple hours later when Ed woke up again. He watched as he brother sat up, stretched, and yawned.

"Did you have a nice nap, Brother?" he asked. Edward nodded.

"Yep!" was the reply from the older boy. A few minutes passed as Ed rummaged around in his pockets. "Hey Al, wanna play some cards?"

To this proposal Al shrugged. It was their common train ride pastime. "Sure," he said as his brother started dealing the cards.

They had been playing for hours. They had started with Poker, but had quickly moved on through other various card games that they had learned throughout their over-extensive lifespan. At the moment, they were currently playing Go Fish. Al was somewhat confused when he rarely won any sets. Hadn't his brother stopped cheating almost eighty years ago?

"How long was I out?" A voice cut through the boys' concentration on the game, and Alphonse's thoughts. Ed didn't look up, continuing to stare at his cards.

"Six hours," he said offhandedly.

The younger boy nodded in agreement when she turned towards him. "We didn't want to wake you. You've had a rough couple of days. You needed your sleep," he told her.

"How much longer until we get there?" she asked.

"We'll be at Resembool Station in approximately two hours, give or take a little," Ed said.

There was a slight pause in the conversation. "What'cha playing?" was Karmyn's next question. The Elrics couldn't tell if she had purposely changed the subject or not.

"Go fish," Al told her simply.

"Go fish?" Her voice carried an incredulous tone. When she leaned closer to look at his cards, he allowed her to. There was no point in telling her that she couldn't- she wasn't playing. He was left questioning, however, when she stood up and went to sit next to his brother, looking onto his cards as well.

Across from him, Ed sputtered as Karmyn looked over his shoulder "Wh- what? What are you doing?" Al smiled inside. _Poor Brother. He's not used to having people so close to him . . ._

His thoughts were interrupted once more by the girl. "Hey Al," she called, "How long have you been playing this game?" she asked, keeping an eye on Edward's cards.

"Not long," he said, somewhat baffled, "Why?"

"Oh, nothing," she said innocently, not quite fooling the Elrics. "Continue on."

_Ah, well. _"Brother, do you have any . . . threes?" He smiled as Edward handed him two threes. He added them to his collection, and was about to move on with the game when Karmyn stopped them.

"All of them," she told Ed with a glare.

_All of them? What? He's been cheating this whole time?_ Alphonse thought he knew the truth, but he couldn't help but ask "What?"

"He only gave you two of his threes. He actually has three of them. That's why you're having such a hard time, Al. He's cheating." She said, revealing the reason to the younger boy's loss.

"Brother!" the younger Elric exclaimed as his sibling laid his cards on the table. "I thought that you said you wouldn't do that anymore!"

"I said that I wouldn't cheat in whatever game it was that we were playing at the time. I said nothing about any other game," he said confidently, leaning back against the train bench. _I love loopholes_, he thought smugly as Karmyn moved back to sit with Al.

Edward shuffled the cards once more, his plot discovered. Not that he really minded- it was just a child's game. Still, he sort of wondered how she knew. It almost cracked him up to think that she had once done the same exact thing.

"Hey, do you know how to play Golf?"

"What brought that on?" _Golf? Why would she be talking about golf in a train car?_ "It's not like we can play here . . ."

"Sure we can. It's perfectly possible," she insisted.

"How the hell does one play Golf on a train?" He was starting to wonder if she had lost her mind. "Do you _want_ to destroy government property?" _Actually, that could be quite fun,_ he thought evilly.

"Brother, maybe you should just let her explain," Al broke in, seeing that his brother was getting worked up.

"Thank you, Al," Karmyn said. "It's quite simple really. Golf is a card game . . ."

-o-

They had been playing for a while when Ed saw Karmyn's face turn darker. He wanted to ask, but he didn't. If something was wrong, she would tell him in her own time. It turned out that 'in her own time' would mean just then.

"Hey, Ed? Do you recognize this guy?" she asked, holding a picture out for him to see. Taking it from her, he scanned it thoughtfully. It was a dark-haired man wearing a military uniform, with a smirk fixed upon his face. For a few seconds he just looked at the artwork, somewhat jealous. He had _never_ been able to draw that well. Remembering her question, he concentrated more on the man himself. It wasn't someone he knew personally but . . .

"Yeah," he said, in response to her question. "I think General Bastard said something about sending a couple soldiers with us to Briggs . . . this guy must be one of them. I don't know him personally- he must have joined after we left. I think this guy is Captain Gabe Neidel . . ." he said, trailing off. "The other man was Lieutenant Devon Yaddlethorpe," he added as he remembered the other man's name.

Karmyn was silent for a few minutes.

"I don't like this Captain Noodle person," she said. Ed almost burst out laughing. He was starting to believe that she could make light out of any situation.

"Captain Noodle, huh?" Al asked, smiling at her with laughter in his eyes.

"Yup. Neidel is just . . . creepy. He looks like Kimblee and Archer . . . combined," she said, causing both boys to shudder internally. Kimblee had been a piece of work. They didn't want to remember Archer. To find a man that had been proclaimed to look like _both_ of them . . .

"Well, he's still in the military, and the General sent him with us, so he can't be all that bad," Edward said, tossing the paper back down onto the table. "Besides, we just got back, isn't it too early for us to be suspicious of everyone that's a little creepy?" In reality, he wasn't so sure. But- they had just gotten back. He didn't want to get into trouble . . . yet. If they still had suspicions later, he would certainly look into him.

"You're right," she said, forcing a small laugh. "We can't be suspicious of everyone, right?"

The three of them then remained silent for the next hour of the trip. Finally, they felt the train slow down to a halt.

"This is us," Ed told them when the train stopped. Suddenly, he was feeling quite anxious. He hadn't been to this place in ninety years . . . it was almost too much for him. As he was walking off the train, he felt Alphonse standing beside him. _That's right_, he thought, _I'm not alone._

They finally found themselves on the platform of Resembool station. Al marveled at how little the town had changed over the past year. That in itself was comforting. He glanced over at Karmyn, who was standing still a few feet away. "Are you ready?" he asked her.

"Yes," was the only answer he was given.

-o-O-o-

Edward, Alphonse and Karmyn walked down the desolate platform to where two other men were standing in military gear. It was in the midst of night, and the cool air was blowing about them. The Elrics greeted the two men politely, and Ed could then see why Karmyn didn't like Neidel. He refused to let that bother him, however.

-o-O-o-O-o-

_And that's where I stopped . . . sooo . . . yeah. I hope you enjoyed this update! I reached my 200 reviews already! THANK YOU ALL! I LOVE YOU IN A COMPLETELY NON-CREEPERISH WAY!_

_Sayonara!_


	33. 30 January, 1917

_Moving on . . . here's to the next chapter! We're moving on through the story people, moving on!_

_I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw that I went from 200 to 230 reviews in forty-eight hours . . . O.O Amazing, people. That's just amazing._

_So . . . let's continue with the story._

**If people have suggestions for Karmyn and Al's trip around Amestris, please tell me! I'm open to suggestions!**

_Let's go!_

-o-O-o-

**30 January, 1917**

Karmyn scrambled around the room that she had been sleeping in for the past month, gathering the few possessions that she owned. She couldn't help but feel excited- she and Al were leaving that day to travel around Amestris! She paused in her movement to suppress a moment of fangirling. It was the thing she _dreamed _of back when she was on the other side of the Gate! Never had she thought that she would actually be doing so!

She quickly shook off her urge to squee and began bustling about the room again. She had extracted her travelling case from underneath the bed, where it had been collecting dust for the past month. She had sneezed as she had blown it off. Now if one looked inside, they would find the few outfits that she had picked up while in Amestris, along with the clothing that she had worn when she had come over. There were other standard necessities as well, such as a toothbrush and whatnot. Also packed was the wallet that had caused her so much trouble.

Examining the contents of the brown leather case, she nodded to herself. _That will do it_, she thought. _Oh!_ She quickly remembered the thing that had been sitting on the dresser for the past month- her report for the General. It had completely slipped her mind when she arrived at Resembool. She quickly nabbed that and laid it down inside the trunk as well. Satisfied that she had remembered everything, she closed the lit and buckled it closed.

She started at the soft knock at the door. "Come in," she called over her shoulder. When the door opened, it revealed Winry standing on the other side, with a package in her hands.

"You almost ready?" Winry asked her, entering the room and sitting down on the bed. Karmyn nodded.

"Yep. I think I got just about everything. I'll be wearing my jacket, and I'll keep my iPod with me, so those didn't need to go in the trunk, but I think everything else is in there," she said.

"Actually . . ." the other girl started. "This is for you," she said, holding out the parcel that was in her arms. Karmyn took it carefully. Despite its size of a cubed foot, it was a lot heavier than it looked.

"What is _in_ here?" she asked, hefting the package into a more comfortable position. "Rocks?"

"Not quite," Winry said with laugher in her voice. "Just open it."

Lifting a corner of her mouth into a smile, Karmyn did as she was told. Carefully removing the brown paper that it was enwrapped in, she found a wooden box. _Do they even have cardboard here?_ Karmyn wondered, _they must . . ._ Pushing her queries into another portion of her mind, she carefully opened the lid of the box. What lay inside caused her to gasp.

Nestled into the box was a good-sized leather-bound diary. Karmyn carefully reached inside to pull the item out so that she could examine it closer. It was about the size of the third Harry Potter book, not that the comparison would mean anything to Winry. It had a padded leather cover, as well as a latch that held it closed. She had to admit that it was one of the nicest ones she had seen in her entire life. "Wow," she said. "I'm not sure if I can accept this . . ."

Winry rolled her eyes. "_Please._ Don't give me that. Just take it. If you don't it will just end up sitting on a shelf here until you do." She paused for a moment. "You know, usually one uses the inside pages, not just the cover," she said, "So you might want to actually look at them."

This caused the other girl to turn the little latch on the side of the book and remove the piece of leather so that she could open it. The inside of the book was just as amazing as the outside. The pages were white, but only every other page actually had lines on it, causing there to be one blank page and one lined page visible at all times. It was near perfect.

"Where did you get this?" Karmyn asked the Rockbell girl. "It's beautiful!"

"I found it down at the bookshop at the end of the road here," she said. "I remembered you saying how much you loved to draw, so I figured I'd get you a journal where you could both write and draw in," she said offhandedly.

"I- I don't know what to say!"

"Have you looked in the rest of the box yet?"

_Rest of the box? But . . . there was only this one thing . . . _Curious, Karmyn looked back into the wooden box. And nearly facepalmed. The journal had been resting on a false bottom about a quarter of the way down. How could she have missed it?

There was a little semicircle at the edge of the piece of wood separating the two parts of the box. Recognizing these means from back when she lived in Boston, she poked a finger through the hole and hooked it up, lifting the square of wood. What lay beneath it both shocked and puzzled her.

There was a sturdy leather belt, coiled around itself neatly. Beside the belt was . . . a metal paper towel tube? _It can't be,_ she told herself, _why would I be given a paper towel tube? _She carefully reached into the box and wrapped her hand around the shiny metal object. Gingerly, she lifted the heavyish item up and brought it closer to her face, letting it rest in both hands. Although she examined it closely, she couldn't tell what it was. She looked over towards Winry with an interrogative glance.

"Come," the Amestrian girl said. "Take the belt, too."

Karmyn picked up the sturdy leather belt in her other hand and followed her friend out into the front yard.

-o-O-o-

"You see," Winry started as they stood out in the chilly air, "I was kind of worried for you when I learned that you would be travelling with Ed and Al. They're not the . . . safest . . . people to travel with and you have virtually no way of protecting yourself."

"So . . . how is a metal paper towel tube going to help me?" Karmyn asked, "I mean, I don't know if they even make those here!" When she saw Winry's blank look, she sighed. "Forget it. Please continue."

Winry blinked for a few seconds, but resumed her topic. "I wanted to help, because Ed never really lets me get involved otherwise. Now then, hold the 'paper towel' tube as you called it, parallel to the ground and hold it on either side of the middle. Pull your hands away from each other, and then twist."

Karmyn did so, at the same time spreading her feet to be a shoulder's width apart. She resettled her grip upon the metal object before doing as Winry instructed. When she pulled her hands apart, a small gap formed in the middle of the cylindrical object. Slowly, she twisted the two halves away from each other. When she heard a small _click_, she stopped and waited for the next instruction.

"Now push the two halves together again."

This time, there was a louder click and somewhat of a _whoosh_ as the tube grew to be five times its original length. Karmyn nearly dropped it in surprise. When she looked closer at it after recovering from the shock, she could see that the tube was, in fact, a sort of staff. Grabbing it in the middle, she twirled it so that it was resting on its end in the snow.

"That's . . . amazing," she said, spinning it around slightly. "It's perfectly balanced, too."

"To get it back, simply pull the halves back apart, twist it again, and push it back together," Winry told her. "There's also a little clip that attaches it to the belt that I gave you."

Karmyn couldn't help it. She spent around three minutes twirling her new staff around and pretending she was Darth Maul from The Phantom Menace with his dual-ended Lightsaber and another two pretending she was Yuuki Cross from Vampire Knight with Artemis (Which is what the staff reminded her of). Finally, after hitting herself on the head multiple times, she retracted the ends of the staff and placed it down so that she could put the belt on. Once it was fastened, she hooked her new weapon onto it.

"Thank you," she cried, engulfing Winry in a large hug. "Thank you. I love it!"

"Just use it to be safe, alright? Don't go looking for fights."

"I'm not planning on it," she said before the two of them walked back inside.

-o-O-o-

They met the Elrics in the kitchen, Ed in his wheelchair still. It would be a month or two before he could actually put weight on his leg again. Al was sitting in one of the dining chairs, conversing casually with his incapacitated sibling.

"Hello!" Winry said cheerfully as they entered the room. Karmyn was close behind.

"Hey, Winry," Al greeted back. Ed just gave a jaunty wave with his good hand. Peering around his childhood friend, he found Karmyn. "You ready to go?" the younger boy asked.

"Just about," she said, "Let me just grab my trunk and we can go." With that, she ran up the stairs, enjoying the weight of her weapon at her hip. Since she was already wearing her coat, she simply slid her iPod into the special pocket on the inside and placed her new journal on top of the rest of her stuff in her travel case. After latching it closed again, she grabbed it by the handle and lugged it down the stairs.

"Alright," she called out as she reached the bottom. "I'm ready to go!"

"Right," Al said, standing up. "We're off then. So . . . you'll call us when you've recovered, and we'll meet up at Briggs, correct?"

Ed nodded. "And you'll call us whenever you arrive somewhere else, so that I know where I can call you."

While the Elrics were working that out, Karmyn and Winry were saying their own goodbyes.

"I promise I'll call," Karmyn said, "and write. Even if these boys don't."

Winry grinned. "Thank you," she said, and gathered Karmyn into another large hug. After that was done, Karmyn turned to Ed.

"You'd better heal up soon," she told him. "I can't imagine what the General will say if he learns you've been on your butt for three months."

Ed screwed up his face in a grimace. "Don't you _dare_ tell him," he ordered her in a threatening manner, "Or I'll grind you to a bloody pulp once I'm better!"

Karmyn laughed. "You wouldn't do that," she wheedled, "I'm your friend, right?"

Ed simply looked over to the side and huffed. "Right," he grumbled.

She bent forward and gave him a friendly hug around the shoulders. "Take care of yourself," she said. "Don't do anything _too_ reckless." Here she gave him a little wink and a grin as she straightened back up. He was blushing profusely, but she remembered that he had never been comfortable with hugs. It was a normal reaction. "And drink your milk," she told him. Ed grumbled a bit more and she chuckled.

Gathering their cases, Karmyn and Alphonse walked out onto the porch before turning back. "See you in a couple months!" Karmyn called back into the house.

"Good-bye Brother, bye Winry!"

When they heard muffled farewells from inside the house, the two of them unanimously agreed that it was time that they got moving. There were places to go, things to see, (trouble to get into). They would see their friends again soon enough.

Their first stop: Central.

-o-O-o-

_Boku wa yuku yo mada minu sekai e._

-o-O-o-

_I realize that Captain Neidel and Lieutenant Yaddlethorpe kinda disappeared . . . well the story is that they left for the North already because they couldn't wait for three months while Ed's automail healed . . . So, yeah. Even though I didn' t write that in, that's what happened. Sorry about that . . . X(_

_Soo . . . TA-DAH! Another chapter!_

_And I've got a question for you. After this chapter, would you rather I update twice on weekends (If I write that much . . .) or save one chapter for Wednesday? What do you want?_

_And I am open to suggestions for their trip around Amestris!_

_Just a reminder- __**ht tp : / projectfalchemy . webs . com**__ is always open to new FMA-loving members!_

_Plus another drawing I did- __**ht tp : / the- turtle -alchemist . deviantart . com/ art/ A-Yet- Unseen-World- 2557 12873**_

_Sayonara!_


	34. 30 January, 1917 Cont

_Hello, all. Get this. All week, my mind has been plagued with thoughts of this story. I can't get it out of my head! And it's during school, too, so I can't write anything. It makes me so mad!_

_But- now it's the weekend, so I can write! ^.^_

_Unfortunately, most of my ideas occur much later on in the story . . . much later. Like 20 chapters-ish later. YES THIS STORY WILL BE A LONG ONE! Grr. I want to get there already, but I can't . . . You know, this is the type of story that I wish someone ELSE was writing, because I enjoy finding out what happens so much! But then again, I'd be my perfectionist self and think 'I could do this better,' and I wouldn't be able to because that would be plagiarism, and someone else would have already done it . . . :( So I think I'll stick to writing it myself!_

_-o-_

_Ed's jacket is red  
>While Mustang's is blue.<br>I do not own,  
>So you do not sue.<em>

_Got it?_

_(Do people even read the authors' notes? Or am I wasting my time?)_

_**The anime **__**Romeo x Juliet**__** is **_**the bomb**_**. Watch it. **_

-o-O-o-

**30 January, 1917**

Karmyn interlaced her fingers and stretched her arms out, her palms facing away from her. She and Al were standing on the platform of the Resembool station, awaiting their train. As she looked around, she noted that the place didn't look as shady as it had a few weeks before when she had gotten off the train. The fact that it was bright out helped.

Dropping her arms back down to her sides, she began to lug her suitcase over to the bench that she had set her eyes on. When she reached it, she set her belongings down with a loud _thump_. Turning it onto its side, she unlatched the lid and opened it. After rummaging around for a bit, she found what she was looking for. She extracted the items and closed the case once more. When all was said and done, she held her (not-so) little book in one hand and a pencil in the other. At least, she had been told that it was a pencil. It looked a bit different than she was used to.

_It's probably an actual lead pencil as well,_ she thought wryly. _Oh, well. Nobody ever died of lead poisoning in FMA did they? I should be safe . . ._

She shrugged. It was the best she was going to find in this alter-1917 world. Opening the notebook, she cringed. She hated to have to mar the pretty cream-white pages. Still, it would be a waste to have such a nice book and not use it . . . she was locked in debate within her own mind when Alphonse's voice startled her.

"What's that?"

She hadn't been prepared for that. She jerked, causing her pencil to skid across the page it was hovering over. _Well, that fixes that problem, _she thought. After getting annoyed upon the discovery that the pencil didn't come with an eraser, she answered his question.

"This? Winry gave it to me right before we left. Isn't it nice?" she said, closing the cover to show him the leather binding and cover. "I didn't want to write in it because the pages are so pretty, but at the same time I thought it was a shame _not_ to write in such a thing . . . it looks like you solved that dilemma for me," she continued, pointing out the long mark across the first blank page.

"Sorry for startling y- hey, what's wrong? You've got the oddest look on your face," he said.

"Uhm- this _is_ a pencil, right? I mean, Winry told me it was but-"

"It's a pencil," he reassured her. "They just aren't like the pencils you- and I- are used to. Why?"

"It's . . . different," she said simply.

Al pressed his lips together in a hard line to keep from smiling. "Yes, they are different. They're still erasable, don't worry. You'll need to find an eraser though- they aren't on the back of the pencil like they are in 2011."

"I realized that," came the dry response.

Whatever Alphonse said next, Karmyn didn't hear it. The train's whistle blew as it approached the station, drowning out any other noise. Both of them stood as it came to a halt before them, its brakes hissing steam. Karmyn picked up her trunk as Al resettled his grip on his. When the train finally stopped, the two of them moved to enter the back car upon a suggestion they had gotten from Ed.

"_It would be good if you could get a place in the rear car. If you need some air you can just walk out onto the back ledge. Besides, if you run into trouble, it's easiest to climb the ladder on the back to get up to the roof," he said seriously. "Although I don't suggest trying it. Trainwalking isn't for amateurs."_

Karmyn thought back to his words, and realized that he had been talking to her. Well, it was for the better. How could she trainwalk if she nearly killed herself just passing from car to car? Coming back to the present, she found that Al had already found a booth. She quickly hurried to sit on the bench across from him.

_These things again,_ she thought. 1917 train benches weren't all that comfortable to sit on.

The two of them didn't speak as the train pulled away from Resembool and began making its way back to Central. Another ten hours of travel. Fun. Biting her lip, Karmyn once again reached into her travel case, this time grabbing a pen and cartridge. If she was going to write in her spiffy new journal-type thing, it was going to be in a material that would stay.

She fumbled a little bit with the cartridge, but she managed to remember what Al had taught her a few weeks before. It wasn't long before the pen was in working order again. Opening her book once again, she sat for a few minutes before deciding what to write.

_Dear Mom,_

_I'm sorry. I know you would vehemently object this statement, but I'm the one who killed you. _I_ went after that stupid wallet. _I_ got myself stuck in that stupid transmutation circle that I helped to create. _I _am the reason that you are no longer here. And I'm sorry. I'm so very, very sorry._

_You would be happy to know, if you don't already, that I made it into Amestris safely. I've had a little bit of trouble adjusting, but it's slowly getting better. I was actually able to get the ink cartridge into this pen that I'm writing with on my own this time. I know you'll never get to read this, but I'm writing anyways._

_I've spent the last couple weeks with the Rockbells, you know, Winry and Pinako. They're both _very_ nice. Winry and I get along just fine. Did you know that she was born on June 9__th__? We're only three days apart, since I was born on the 12__th__! Of course, we were also born many centuries apart, but all that doesn't matter now, does it? _

_I calculated it out, and nine years have passed back home in the time that I've been here. Katherine is already 26. I wonder how she's been doing. What happened after I disappeared? Did she worry? Think I was dead? Dear God, I hope I didn't ruin her life. I'm already responsible for yours. Did she ever get a boyfriend? She might even be married by now, with kids! I hope she got a good job . . . and levels of higher education- something I'll never get._

_It's 2020 there . . . that was always a futuristic year in all those old movies we used to watch. I wonder what it's really like. Probably not all that different, I suppose. Life probably hasn't changed much. Well, for those over there, anyways. I'm in a whole new ballpark._

_Though you'd never believe who I found here. Dad. Yes, that's right, the person whom you told me had left. Well, it turns out that through a glitch in _your_ experiment, he ended up here. In Amestris. On the side of the road. And press-ganged into the military because he wasn't a citizen. He's now Sergeant Robert Cross under General Mustang's command. It sort of surprised me though- I wasn't forced into the same situation. I suspect that it was because a few strings were pulled behind the scenes, what with me being friends with the Elrics and all._

_Speaking of the Elrics, Edward decided to undergo the automail surgery again. While he's recovering, Al and I are travelling around Amestris. You would love it. There are so many scientific advancements here in the way of chemistry- alchemy would just fascinate you to no end. I bet they could even give you a run for your money in the way of conversation pertaining to that subject._

_You're Truth now, right? If I were to go back to the Gate, it would be you whom I would see. You who would dole out my punishment for doing whatever stupid thing I did to be there in the first place. You know everything about me. What I do, what I've done, and what I will do in the future. Really, it's no different than it was when we were both on the same dimensional plane._

_Thank you for always watching over me, Mom. It gives me comfort to know that you're still doing what you've always done best. I wish you well, wherever you are._

_I'm sorry._

_Your loving daughter,_

_Karmyn Marie Dallas_

-o-O-o-

Karmyn sighed and turned to look out the window as she finished her letter. It would never be sent- would never be received. The sheer truth of that statement almost brought tears to her eyes. She smiled sadly out at the world flashing by before her. At that moment, nothing else existed but her and her thoughts.

"Your middle name is Marie?" Al asked, breaking her reverie. He must have been reading what she was writing from across the table. She raised one corner of her mouth into a smile.

"Yeah, after my mother," she answered. "It's kind of ironic, really, now that she's no longer here. I don't know if I should be happy that I carry her name, or have a breakdown whenever I think about it."

"Personally, I prefer the first option," he admitted. Her half-smile turned genuine.

"It's probably the better option," she said. Pausing for a moment, she asked her own question. "Do you have a middle name?" It was something that nobody would ever know unless they knew the Elrics personally. It was never mentioned in either the manga or the anime.

"Percival," he answered. Karmyn thought for a minute.

"Alphonse Percival Elric?" she asked aloud, testing the name on her tongue. "It works," she told him, "What about Edward's?"

"Promise you won't say that I told you?" Al asked, somewhat desperately. Karmyn raised an eyebrow.

"Is it that bad?" she asked.

"Somewhat."

"Do tell!"

Alphonse hesitated before stating, "Ethan."

"Ethan?"

"Edward Ethan Elric."

Karmyn burst out laughing, taking care not to disturb the passengers around them. "I promise I won't tell. I can see why he doesn't want anyone to know! But . . . now I feel better about carrying my mother's name. Thank you," she said sincerely.

"Well, that's your mother," he pointed out, "What about your father?"

That stopped her cold. "My father," she murmured thoughtfully. "It's a long story, but I guess we have the time . . ."

-o-O-o-

_I know, I'm evil for leaving it there. Don't worry, you'll probably get another update quickly._

_Happy reading, happy writing, over and out._

_Sayonara!_


	35. 30 January, 1917 Karmyn's Story

_Hello again! Karma's baaack! ;) Not that you expected any different._

_I should have you know that shoujo romance mangas depress me. I'm fourteen- almost fifteen- and have never had a boyfriend. Most of the time, I don't care, but sometimes . . . I just want someone to ask me so that I could say no._

_I find them (the mangas) too unrealistic, you know? The girl and guy almost always end up together. That doesn't happen in real life . . . the guys are always really hot, too. There's _no one_ like that in my grade . . . and even if there were, they wouldn't even cast a glance at me. Ah, well. C'est la vie._

_So, yeah. Romance mangas depress me. Yet I'm practically addicted to the things . . . but what the hey._

_You're probably fed up with my rant, soo . . . I'll write the chapter now._

_OH! Wait- first:_

_There's a guy. In the grade above me. Whose name is Robert. He's short. He hates being called short. He wants to go into the military. He's fifteen. He's blond. He refuses to wear the school-issued ID tag. He hates milk. And he has a bad attitude._

_Sound familiar?_

_(And no, that has nothing to do with the aforementioned subject! No way, no how!)_

-o-O-o-

**30 January, 1917 – Karmyn's Story**

Most of the memories of my father prior to that day two years ago are nice ones. He was always there for me and my mother. He sometimes teased us and called us chemistry freaks, but we knew that he really didn't mean it. When I started getting into chemistry myself, he watched over me to make sure that I didn't blow anything up, or touch anything too dangerous. He always made sure to handle the Bunsen burner for me when my mom was unable to.

He was always saying "No loss, no gain," which I now find extremely ironic due to my later fascination with the anime FMA (I hardly ever call it Fullmetal Alchemist now that I actually know the person) and equivalent exchange. There was one time when I was five- I accidentally let go of a helium-filled balloon outside, and promptly lost it. I was close to tears when he told me "No loss, no gain." Even at age five I understood what he was trying to say. If I never lost anything, then I would never feel as if I had gained anything, either.

My father was, and still is, rather young, being only thirty-five when he disappeared. I was fifteen at the time. He was only twenty when I was born, while my mother was twenty-seven. I don't think that either of my grandparents were all too happy about the marriage. I've heard the story multiple times- it's almost like a shoujo manga how Mom, who was already pretty well known, and a group of other college Chem students created a tutoring group for highschoolers. My dad was failing sophomore chemistry class pretty badly. I think his average was something around a 36 when he started attending the sessions. He didn't even want to- it had been his parents' idea.

I think he was sixteen when he met Mom, who was twenty-three. To make a long story short, he fell in love with her and neglected his chem studies even further. He was down to a 24 percent average when Mom finally lost her patience with him and snapped. He told her that he loved her and said that if she'd date him, he'd actually start studying. Mom was skeptical at first, and didn't believe him. Besides, there was a seven-year difference between the two of them. She told him that he'd have to get his grades up to a B- or better, and then she might consider it. Apparently, that did the trick.

She never actually expected him to get his grades up so high in such a short amount of time. Unfortunately, she was stuck to her promise. They had to meet in secret, because he was still a minor, and it would have been trouble if anyone found out. At first, my mother was only putting up with it, but as she got to know him better, she found herself falling for him. When he graduated high school, they made their relationship public. It caused quite a scandal for a while, but it slowly died down. The two of them married two years later, and I was born soon after that. Mom kept her maiden name, as she was already well known in the field. That was okay with my father, and I took my mother's name of Dallas instead of my father's name, Cross.

Everyone was amazed that they were together for as long as they were. It was kind of a rash decision in other people's eyes to get married and have a child so soon. But- they loved each other. Even at a young age I could tell that they wouldn't be separated. As I got older I was grateful that I didn't have to go through divorce like some of my friends did.

But then- he was gone. Left. Disappeared. Got fed up. And then I knew what my friends had felt when their parents went through divorce. At least, that's what Mom told me. And I believed it for the longest time. There was no other explanation for it. He left us because he couldn't put up with our obsession for chemistry.

Then you and your brother come in, Al, and completely turn my life around. I end up in a world that's completely not my own, by means of a really stupid mistake. My mother goes after me, attempting to rescue me from my own rashness, and I lose her in the process. Then, when arriving in the new world, who do I find but my father, who I haven't seen for two years?

It turned out that he never meant to leave us. That day, he went with Mom to her lab so that he could take some of her paperwork home for her. It was a day that they were testing the Element 116. There were atoms flying around everywhere, and it's an unstable element. There were a few mutant atoms as well. Considering that these atoms were the Philosopher's Stone, they had the same amount of power that the stone did itself. My father wasn't wearing protective clothing like the rest of the lab workers were, and a mutant atom slammed into him.

The energy behind the collision was the equivalent exchange needed to pay for his way across the Gate. Unfortunately, it didn't pay for the knowledge of the Truth, so he doesn't remember that part. I asked him about it myself. He looked at me as if I were crazy. He doesn't know about FMA. I only got into that after he disappeared. It was really what helped me get through it, as your father also left, so I kind of felt a connection, and that's what drew me to it.

I told him about how Mom sacrificed herself to save me. I think I've told you that story already. He had a hard time believing it. I think we both kind of broke down at that point. He hadn't seen the woman he loved in a week, and he discovered that it had actually been two years. His daughter, whom he thought was fifteen, was actually seventeen, and he had missed two years of her life. The fact that I had just lost my mom, my best friend, and my entire life as I had known it caught up to me. We both cried for what seemed like forever.

After we recovered, Dad explained what had happened in his week of being in Amestris. Apparently, he had landed in the place as we did. He found his way up into the streets of Central, but then he was screwed. He had no money. He had no idea where he was. He had no papers. The military caught him as he attempted to get into headquarters. It's the largest building in Central, so he thought that he could get some information there. They found him suspicious, so they asked him for his name and papers. Of course, he didn't have any.

Being a young man, he was suspected of being a spy for a foreign country. When he vehemently rejected the possibility, they didn't believe him and gave him two choices: either switch alliances and join the military or leave the country immediately. Considering the fact that he didn't even know what country he was _in_, he figured that it would be the better idea to join the military. Even before he disappeared, he was thinking of joining the American military.

He ended up under General Mustang's unit, which was lacking in members. Personally, I'm glad. I think that it's the best place for him. Despite how he acts sometimes, I trust Mustang. After whole fiasco with the military that you and your brother exposed, I don't trust this country's military. I know it's better, but you can never tell.

I know it was kind of cold of me to leave Dad again right after I found him, but he and I agreed that it would probably be for the best if I stayed with you. He lives in the military barracks, so I would have to find a house on my own, and I'm only seventeen. We wouldn't get to see each other all that much anyways. It was a unanimous decision. It's comforting just to know that we're both here, and we will be if one of us needs the other. So for the meantime, I'm still with you.

-o-O-o-

_This entire chapter was Karmyn speaking to Alphonse. You've probably seen the format before, so I won't worry about that. We'll get back to the action in the next chapter. Well, I hope you enjoyed the background info!_

_Sayonara!_


	36. 30 January, 1917 Cont II

_Wow, I'm good. Three chapters written this weekend. Woot!_

_I was reading through other FMA fanfictions, and I realized something- Is Truth&Fiction the _only_ story where the main character OC doesn't get into arguments with Ed? Where Ed doesn't swear like a sailor every five minutes? Am I even getting these characters right? Is my interpretation of them okay? I've written thirty-five chapters and I'm still second-guessing myself!_

_Please, let me know what you think!_

_I was thinking of not updating this one right away, as I only had four reviews on the last chapter, but then I thought, 'Hey, I'm not doing this for reviews. I'm doing this because I love writing the story and I want to make people happy, including myself. People who only update for reviews are greedy and selfish.' (sorry if I offended anyone there) So, I'm updating._

_Anyways, let's get on with this chapter, shall we?_

-o-O-o-

**30 January, 1917**

Karmyn took a deep breath as she finished her story. Not wanting to meet Al's eyes at that moment, she looked down at the journal on her lap, filled with the letter to her mother. The tale had taken a good hour to tell, and her voice was quite exhausted.

"So that's the gist of it," she said quietly. "When we get back to Central, I'm planning on visiting him again. He's really the only family I have left."

Al nodded. "That's perfectly fine. I think we'll be in Central for a few days, anyways. You should have more than enough time to spend with your dad."

"Thank you," Karmyn said. She looked up, meeting his eyes squarely. "Now then. What else do we want to talk about?"

Their conversations ranged from many topics. They talked about Amestris, they talked about America. They talked about his past, they talked about her past. They had a heated discussion about alchemy and chemistry. They even talked about the difference in technologies between the two realms. Some topics that others would consider duly boring, they found the most fascinating.

Eventually, the topic came around to cartridge pens, and Karmyn was reminded that she had yet to finish her report for Mustang. Pulling that out of her bag, their booth fell silent. For the next two hours, she was absorbed in relaying all of her theories and discoveries that had been made on the other side of the Gate. She remembered fondly that day where she had demanded that the Elrics meet her at the lab, the day that she had proved herself worthy with her theories about the Gate. The day that she had apprehended a criminal using her own smarts.

Those two weeks that she had known the Elrics back home had been some of the happiest days of her life.

With a final scratch of her pen, her report was done. Opening up her travel case, she packed it away neatly, making sure not to crumple it.

"Finally finished it?" Al asked her. She nodded.

"Yep. I hope Mustang appreciates it. I know not to get my hopes up, though. He probably won't even read it, knowing him."

"Who knows? He might, considering the subject that it covers. I don't think that he can afford _not_ to read it."

"True," Karmyn said, stretching. "Ah, well. I did my best anyways. Once an honors student, always an honors student."

It hit her then that she had, for all intents and purposes, dropped out of school. Ed and Al had dropped out around the third or fourth grade, she knew that, but . . . it just felt weird. She had planned to become valedictorian of her graduating class in senior year, but that hadn't happened, and never would.

_No more school_, she though pensively. _There are some kids- _were_ some kids in my grade who would kill for that opportunity. I never even thought about it, and look where I am now!_

She shook off the strange feeling. There was nothing to be done about it now. She and Al returned to their conversations, whiling away another hour or two.

-o-O-o-

_Cadun-cadunk. Cadun-cadunk. Cadun-cadunk._

_Vhweeeeeeeeetwheoot._

_Phsssssssssssssssshhhhhhhht._

-o-O-o-

"We've stopped?" Karmyn asked, surprised. "Are we there already?"

"I don't think so," Al told her, "It hasn't even been eight hours yet. Excuse me," he called to one of the train workers, "Where are we?"

"There is an issue with the engine of the train, and we will be unable to make it to Central until it is fixed. For the time being, we have stopped at the nearest station. You may get off here and wait for another train, if you so wish, or you may stay until the engine is fixed." The worker spoke in a clipped tone of voice, and quickly spun his heel as soon as he was done.

"Well that was rude," Karmyn commented. "So- what are we going to do?"

"Whatever the problem is, it will take a while to fix. I think our best bet would be to wait for the next train. Besides- we're touring around Amestris, right? Why not stop here?"

Karmyn smiled. "You're on," she said, standing and picking up her case. "Let's do this thing."

Al quickly followed suit, and the two of them stepped off the train onto the platform of the unknown town. The air was still chilly, and Karmyn pulled her coat closer around her while Al did the same. "We should probably find a sign or something," Karmyn said, "So that we know what town we're in. In England, each station had a sign out on the platform. I'm not quite sure how it is here, but-"

"We're just going to have to ask someone somewhere along the way," Al said. "Come on, we'll probably need to find an inn or a hotel to stay at for tonight. It's getting kind of late, so I don't think there'll be anymore trains this evening."

"Alright," Karmyn said nodding. "You know better than I do, so I'll just follow you."

The two of them left the station and began walking down one of the main roads. The town was actually quite small, but at the same time it gave off a warm feeling. After ten minutes of walking, they came across two young teens, a boy and a girl, who were sitting on the railing of one of the fences alongside the road. Karmyn saw that they didn't look to be more than fourteen years old. She nudged Al in the side and gestured toward them. He nodded in agreement.

Smiling, Karmyn waved and caught their attention before walking over to them. "Excuse me," she said politely, "Could you please tell us the name of this town?"

The girl smiled back at her. "New here?" Karmyn nodded. "Well, you've found your way to Ceredigion. I don't know if I should congratulate you or feel sorry for you."

Karmyn was confused at her words, but didn't let it show. "Thank you," she said, "You wouldn't happen to know a place where we could stay, would you?"

This time, it was the boy who spoke up. "My uncle owns an inn near here," he told them. "Just keep walking straight until you reach the fork in the road, and then take the left. You can't miss it."

"Ah. Alright, thanks!" Karmyn replied as she turned to walk back to Alphonse. She was stopped when the girl spoke up.

"What are your names?"

"Oh, I'm Karmyn Dallas, and this is- Al." She knew that it wouldn't be a good idea to give Al's identity away at that moment. It could lead to more trouble than it was worth.

"See you around, Karmyn and Al!" The girl exclaimed.

Once they were walking on the road again, they started noticing odd things about the town. The townspeople cast them wary looks, and often herded their children away from them. Nobody would meet either of the travellers' eyes.

"What do you think is going on?" Karmyn asked Al. "It's like we're unwelcome here."

"It's not _like_ we're unwelcome- we _are_ unwelcome. I just hope we'll be able to get a spot at the inn the boy was telling us about."

"I wonder why they don't like us. We've never even been here before!" She hissed to Al under her breath.

"I'm sure there's a reason," he said, albeit somewhat uncertainly.

"Those two kids didn't seem to mind us."

"I don't know. I just don't know," Al admitted. "Come on- the inn is right there."

-o-O-o-

"Sorry, no vacancy," the innkeeper told them coldly. Karmyn immediately got pissed.

"No vacancy? Who has your rooms, then? Ghosts? 'Cause they're the only ones I can think of that can get into their rooms without their room keys," she snapped, pointing to the rack of keys that was located behind the counter. A little more than half the rack was still occupied.

"There is no vacancy for the likes of you," he clarified, none too clearly.

"For the likes of _us_? I already have enough to deal with in this bat-crazy town! Listen, mister. We're only here because our train broke down and we have to wait for the next one."

"Karmyn-" Al said cautiously. It wasn't often that she got going like this, and he didn't quite understand what had set her off.

"If you have a personal issue with us, then that's all well and good. But you shouldn't let that get in the way of business. Now please. If you could just give us a room under the names Karmyn Dallas and Alphonse Elric-"

"Elric?"

Oh, crud. She had been too caught up in her little rant that she had given Al's name away. She sighed. There was nothing she could do about it now.

"Yes, Elric."

The innkeeper grew silent. He surveyed them for a few minutes before finally speaking again. "On one condition."

_Conditions? Is this guy insane? We just need a room for the night and he gives us _conditions_?_ She sighed irritably. "What's the condition?"

"That you help us with a little problem this town has been having recently."

Karmyn turned away from the man at the counter and looked toward Al. _"Are you willing to help?"_ she asked in English. For some reason she didn't want the man to understand their conversation.

"_We need a room," _he consented. _"I don't have any problems with helping these people. We'd need to know what the problem is, though."_

"_Alright. Let's do it, then." _Karmyn turned back to the innkeeper. "Fine, we'll help. What's the issue?" she asked, switching back to Amestrian.

The innkeeper smiled broadly. "Thank you. It's like this . . ."

-o-O-o-

_Another short chapter, and I do believe it is quite cruddy by my standards. I don't think I did very well on it. Oh, well. It tells the story. The next chapter will be longer, and it will be better, trust me!_

_It's amazing how many sound effects there are for trains. I don't remember them all, but I found a lot of them!_

_See you laters, alligators!_

_Sayonara!_


	37. 31 January, 1917

_Uhhg. Got back from a marching band competition last night around 11 . . . and woke up at 9. I have no clue why . . . But I'm taking this time to write a chapter._

_My fingers aren't awake yet, so it'll probably take me a while to write this one, as I keep hitting the wrong keys . . ._

_So, about the story- I've noticed that Karmyn seems to be a much more dynamic character than she was in the beginning. It's almost like she's a completely different person. I mean, you basically know nothing about her when they're still in America . . . O.O; Sorry about that. It's just that I didn't develop her before I started writing. I knew her name, and her age, and what she looked like. The first chapter, that's all I had. I hadn't even thought about her being a chemist's daughter until the second chapter, and I forget when I decided that her father had 'left.' Most things in this story are spontaneous, so if something comes completely out of the blue, that's why._

_And I think I've discovered the trick to getting lots of reviews- your story needs to be extremely controversial. This had just been my observation, so I don't know if it's true or not, but . . . I think that Truth&Fiction _will_ become pretty controversial as it goes on . . . and I knew that before I made the observation._

_Sooo . . . you wish to read. So read. This 265 word author's note is complete._

_Wait- just as a note, italics doesn't necessarily mean they're speaking in English. It designates a flashback as well. English in flashbacks will be in _normal text_._

-o-O-o-

**31 January, 1917**

The two travellers sat in the room that they had secured for that night. They were chatting amiably about various things, but there was only one thing on both of their minds- which was what the innkeeper had said.

-o-

"_. . . There's been a bit of a thieving problem here lately. Things go missing from stores and homes. Ceredigion used to be a nice place to live. Everyone helped everyone else, arguments rarely broke out, and people walked around with a smile on their face. But about a month ago, that changed._

"_It started with the bakery down on Second Street. Then it was the Mauldons' home on Cherry Road. The thefts came in quick succession, sometimes hitting multiple houses and businesses in one night. After this started happening, which was almost a year ago, nobody could trust anyone. They gave you strange looks on the street, yes?"_

_Karmyn nodded. "Yes," she said. "You mean that wasn't just us?"_

_The innkeeper smiled. "No, it wasn't just you. It's all of us. Nobody talks to anyone now. 'Tis quite sad, actually."_

_The man talked with a tiny bit of a lilting accent, one that Karmyn usually associated with Italian people. There was no Italy in this dimension, so she figured that it must have just been a regional dialect._

"_So you want us to find and catch these thieves?" Al asked from where he had moved to stand beside Karmyn._

"_Yes," was the answer, "You are Alphonse Elric, no? I have heard great things about you and your brother, although the rumors said that you always wore a suit of armor. I have confidence that you will be able to catch these thieves."_

"_So you think there's more than one?" he asked._

"_Yes. I'm certain."_

"_There would have to be," Karmyn pointed out, "If multiple burglaries are happening on the same night. I don't think anyone other than . . ." _Anyone other than Brotherhood Sloth would be able to move that fast, and it isn't like he could or want to steal anything in the first place,_ she finished her sentence in her head, deciding that it wasn't the best thing to say aloud._

_Al ignored her trailed-off sentence, knowing what she was getting at with it. "Do you know what the thieves look like?" he asked the innkeeper._

"_Some say male, others say female. We don't know, and that's why we trust no one."_

_That certainly left them something to think about._

-o-

"So . . ." Karmyn began slowly, "What are we going to do about the thief?

Al sighed, leaning back against the headboard of the bed they were sitting on. "It'll be hard to catch them when we don't have a lead, but as soon as we do, I'm gone. I can't just leave them here to suffer like this. Nobody's in the wrong, and yet they're all treated as if they are. It isn't fair, and I'm going to fix it." He said determinedly. Karmyn smiled softly. She knew he would say that.

"And let me guess. You're gonna tell me to stay here until you get back, because it's 'too dangerous.'" She had a sinking feeling in her stomach. Because she had been such a fangirl, she had often read fanfiction stories online, because she couldn't get enough FMA. And in almost every single one of them, the Elrics told the OC to stay behind as they went off to do some dangerous deed. It had honestly pissed her off. And then there was the fact that she was _living_ the life of a fanfiction story . . . _(A/N- lol. She doesn't know. She just doesn't know . . . XP)_

The younger Elric turned a corner of his mouth up in a half-smile. "Karmyn, give me your hand," he told her, "Palm down." She did as he requested, holding her right hand out towards him. She watched curiously as he grabbed a pen that was sitting on the table beside the bed. He uncapped it, holding the cover between his teeth. Grabbing her hand, he quickly scrawled _Snowballs_ across the back of her hand so that when she held her hand with her thumb down, she could read it upright.

"What?" she asked as he put the pen away. She was thoroughly confused. _Snowballs? What did they have to do with anything?_

"You wouldn't even listen to me if I told you to stay here. You wouldn't even listen to Brother if he told you. So I won't. You've dealt with thieves before, right?"

Karmyn thought back to that day at the Boston Researcher's Lab, where she had cornered Mr. Carson and recovered the Philosopher's Stone without any help. But . . . "That was different," she said, "He was just a petty thief, and it was only a stone. We're talking real criminals here!"

"Just promise me you won't die. Multiple people would be after me if you did. Winry, your dad, possibly even Brother . . ." he shuddered at the thought of becoming victim to Winry's wrench.

She laughed at his reaction. "Okay, alright! I get your drift! I won't die!"

The two of them fell silent. It was already 1:30 am, and Karmyn was near-dead exhausted. She wasn't used to having so much happen in a day. To have it pushed upon her like this was somewhat strenuous. She had almost nodded off when the door to their room slammed open. She came to her senses with a start.

Focusing over on the doorway, she saw the same two young teens that they had met earlier that day on the road. They were breathing heavily, and the boy still had his hand on the door that he had slammed open.

"Thieves," he said breathily. "The thieves . . ."

Al stood immediately. "Where?" he asked urgently. Karmyn could see that he was tensed, as if ready for a fight. The girl standing behind the boy answered him.

"Over on Philbrick Lane. The Carpenters'."

The two seventeen-year-olds exchanged a glance, and Karmyn nodded. It was time to get the show on the road. "You go," she told him. "I'll catch up."

Al didn't bother to reply, instead darting around the two younger teen s and out the door. Karmyn whirled around to open her travel case and retrieve the staff and belt that Winry had made for her, along with her coat. Fumbling a little bit, she managed to strap it on securely, the staff at her hip. When she turned back towards the door, she saw that the girl and boy were still standing there.

"Thank you," she told them, shrugging the coat on, "But I don't thing I ever got your names."

The girl smiled. "I'm Isabella Hills, and this is Farley Knox," she said, introducing herself and her companion. Karmyn smiled.

"Nice to meet you, but I've got to go. If I survive this, we can talk later, alright?"

Isabella nodded and stepped aside to let Karmyn out the door.

-o-O-o-

She ran out into the middle of the sleeping street, her black coat flapping out behind her. Her only regret was that she didn't own a pair of gloves. Still, she was determined not to let her cold fingers slow her down.

_Philbrick Lane, _she thought. Well that was helpful. She didn't even know what road she was _on_. Fortunately, it was light enough out that she could see the road beneath her. She scanned the ground for a few minutes, and delighted in what she found. There were two tracks that lead from one direction up to the inn, and another larger pair that led from the inn in that direction. She smiled, relieved. It was one of those times that she was _happy_ it was winter.

She took off at a run, following the tracks into the center of downtown. The shops were all closed- the lights were all off. Suddenly, she heard a loud _crash_ from one direction. She turned on a dime (or would that be a Cens?) and darted towards where the sound had come from.

She never reached her destination. As she ran towards the sound, two figures burst out of an alleyway perpendicular to the road she was running on, nearly bowling her over. "Get back here!" she heard a familiar voice yell.

"Al?" she asked quietly as he ran past her. Recovering her wits, she joined him in the chase. "Hey," she told him as she came up beside him. He glanced quickly over at her at the sound of her voice before once again concentrating on his quarry.

"Found him," he said shortly.

Karmyn nodded in acknowledgement. She couldn't exactly afford the breath that she needed to form a sentence. The two of them chased the black-clad figure through the alleyways and streets. It was kind of funny- the guy never really made any effort to actually get away, yet he never let his two pursuers get close enough to him to catch him.

Unfortunately, it all connected all too late.

"It's a trap!" she yelled, just before another figure jumped out of the shadows to grab Al. The Elric quickly spun around and fended him off, while in the process losing sight of the one he had been chasing. As much as Karmyn wanted to help her friend, she continued to chase down the one that they had been trailing. It was a couple more minutes before she found Al running beside her again.

"The other. . . one's behind us," he said breathily.

Keeping her eyes on the one in front of them, she watched as the thief jumped over a four-foot wall spanning the alleyway. In that split second, she knew what had to be done.

"You stay here and take care of the other guy. I'll get the first one," she managed to say. He was about to question her when she suddenly vaulted and landed on the top of the wall, pausing to catch her breath.

"When'd you learn how to do that?" he yelled to her. She hadn't shown any signs of being overly athletic. What had just happened?

Karmyn sighed. She knew it would come to this. "A year of my life I'd rather forget!" was all she answered with before she disappeared down the alley.

As Al turned to face the one chasing him, there was one other thing on his mind.

_WTH?_

-o-O-o-

_There, a longer chapter for yas. It took approximately an hour and a half to write._

_Yes, there is a reason behind Karmyn's gymnastics move there. But you won't find it out for a while yet . . . XP_

_Soo . . . yeah. I've actually known the names of the two new OCs for a while now, Isabella Hills and Farley Knox. You'd be amused to know that I'd forgotten and remembered Farley's name about three times before I got it written down . . . O.O;_

_Anyhow._

_Until next time, (which won't be long)_

_Sayonara!_


	38. 31 January, 1917 Cont

_Quickie double updates! YAY! I poured my heart out to you in the last chapter, so I don't think I need to do it again. Although, I am the type of person that can't listen to music with English lyrics while writing. I keep concentrating on the lyrics and not the story . . . so it's either Enya or L'Arc-En-Ciel for me . . . is it the same for anyone else?_

_Something that will come in handy later on in this story:_

_-o-_

KarmaHope's Guide to Languages in Truth&Fiction

_English_  
>Amestrian<br>Drachman  
><strong>Aerugan<strong>  
><em><span>Cretan<span>_  
><em><strong>Xingese<strong>_

_-o-_

_Alright with that taken care of, let's get back to the action, shall we? Oh, and is everyone okay with the dates as chapter titles? Or would you rather I actually name them?_

-o-O-o-

**31 January, 1917**

Karmyn landed lightly on her feet on the other side of the wall, mentally kicking herself. She had sworn that she would never do that again, and yet here she was, doing exactly that. She sighed mentally as she took off after the thief. As much as she just wanted to forget it, she was grateful that it had actually served a purpose.

She kept her eyes trained on the figure in front of her, watching him as he/she dived into an alleyway perpendicular to the one they were currently running down. It reminded her quite strongly of the chase through the halls of the Boston Researcher's Lab. Unfortunately, this one had gone on for much longer, and she was starting to tire.

Not watching where she was going, she accidentally tripped over a rock, causing her to land hard on the ground and lose her quarry. She sat up, agitated. Picking herself up off the ground, she dusted off the pants she was wearing. Acknowledging the fact that catching up to the criminal would be impossible, she leant against the side of the alley she was in. Gasping for breath, she did her best to recover her burning lungs and muscles.

_Okay, so I'm not up to the Elrics' standards of agility and ninja-ness,_ she thought to herself. _Still, I think I did pretty well for my first time._

Except 'pretty well' caught no criminals. She closed her eyes, composing herself before she started to head back to where she had left Al. After nearly getting lost a couple times, she finally found the wall spanning the alley. Once again, she leapt it with ease. . .

. . . And landed face-to-face with a burly looking man.

With a gun.

Her eyes widened with the conclusion that the man was the ringleader of the thieves. _Oh, shit,_ she thought to herself. This didn't constitute 'crap' or 'crud.' This was seriously deep shit. _Oh, _why_ couldn't he have run into Al instead of me? I can't fight to save my life!_

It was true. As much as she was agile, she had little to no strength in her upper body and arms. She knew that she would quickly come out on the losing end of any fight that she got into. And with this man, she might as well end up dead.

"You're not getting away from me, missy. You interrupted our plans, so you must pay."

She jumped backwards over the wall at her back as he clicked the hammer into place. She remembered the promise that she had made to Al, the one where she wouldn't die. She was starting to worry that she wouldn't be able to uphold it.

She flinched as the man leapt the wall as well, staying in pursuit of her. It was almost amazing how fast she had gone from 'hunt_er_' to 'hunt_ed._' She didn't stop to marvel at this, however, as she quickly took off down the alley she had just come from.

As she ran, she glanced down at her hands, which were starting to shake from nerves and fear. She knew that this would happen from the moment she had set foot in her new country. It wasn't like America. The authorities wouldn't always come to save you. Life was basically a do-or-die mission in situations like the one she found herself in now. She just hadn't expected it to happen so soon!

Karmyn jumped as she heard gunshots sound from behind her, the bullets making little _pffts_ as they landed in the dirt beside her feet. Her eyes widened in terror as she picked up her pace even more, putting a little more distance between her and the criminal she was running from.

Her lungs were burning, her legs felt like jelly. Still, she kept running, fearing for her life. _Sorry, Al. Sorry, Ed. Mom, Dad, Winry . . . _Winry! She was still wearing the staff that she had strapped on earlier that morning at the inn! With one shaky hand, she unclipped it from her belt as she ran down the alley. It took longer than she would have liked, but eventually she had it grasped in both her hands. With a deft _twist_ and a _click_, it sprang open to its full length.

A small smile came onto Karmyn's face as she calculated the width of the alley versus the length of her staff. It would just work. Putting on an extra burst of speed, she put a little bit more distance between her and her pursuer. When she thought it was safe, she quickly spun on her heel.

Holding the staff parallel to the ground, she wedged it between the two walls of the alley, placing it belly-height to the man who was chasing her. Making sure it was in there tight, she once again sprinted away down the alley.

She was almost home free. She would just need to find another perpendicular alley and she would be safe. She would get back to Al, and he would be able to take care of the criminal. But . . .

There were no more perpendicular alleyways.

And she had reached a dead end.

_I'm screwed._

-o-O-o-

Karmyn froze, her back pressed up against the filthy wall of the dead end. Down the way, she saw the man recovering from the trap she had set, and he was once more making his way towards her. His gun was still in his hand, and- as he had a straight shot- was raised level with her. She remained frozen in fear as she heard him click the hammer back, and saw his hand shift as he moved to pull the trigger. She closed her eyes, waiting for the shot that would end her life.

But the shot never came.

She cautiously opened one eye to a curious sight. The guy's gun was on the ground, and he was shaking his hand and glaring up at the roof to Karmyn's left. When her gaze landed on the gun once more, she saw that it had been smashed by a rock. _A rock? From the roof?_ She was extremely puzzled, but happy all the same. The mysterious rock-hurler had saved her life, after all.

Unfortunately, the man was still advancing, this time with his fists raised. Karmyn cringed. She wasn't up for a fistfight. She couldn't fight, period. The guy didn't need a gun to end her life. She had the feeling that the man knew that as well.

She shrank as her pursuer stopped a pace away from where she was standing. Bending her knees to sink lower, she held her hands up in front of her face to do the best she could at fending him off. But . . . there was a dark line on the back of her right hand . . .

_Snowballs_. She remembered Al writing the word on the back of her hand earlier that day, before they had gotten involved in all this craziness. _Snowballs._ Suddenly, what she had thought of as general insanity started to make sense.

She thought back to her snowball fights with Al back in Resembool. She remembered the odd rules that Al had made up, how she had to avoid all of them, and how they didn't count if she caught them or blocked them with her arms. All that began to come together and make perfect sense.

He had, in all intents and purposes, prepared her for this moment.

Relaxing her mind, she looked at the man's large fists as snowballs, and she was back in Resembool with Al. All she had to do to win the game was avoid the snowballs.

She dodged as he struck out with his left fist, and again as he tried to hit her with his right. They entered a dangerous dance as she avoided his 'snowball' fists, and the punches he was throwing. When she saw one that she couldn't dodge, she held out her hand and 'caught' it, preventing it from catching her in the chest. Karmyn quickly realized that they hurt like hell when she blocked them with her forearm, but it was better than getting the breath knocked out of her.

It was strenuous, though, and she quickly began to lose pace. She gasped as one slipped through her defenses to land on her right shoulder. After that, she fell to pieces, unable to keep his fists away from her any longer. Another blow caught her in the chest, and a third hit her stomach- hard- knocking the breath out of her and sending her tumbling to the floor.

She didn't pray as she looked up to see him standing over her. She didn't believe in any god. She was a woman of science, just like her mother had been. She had read the bible, but only for entertainment. She often laughed at various religious mumbo-jumbo. It was one of the reasons she had loved FMA so much. It went against religion. _(A/N- Sorry if I offended anyone here . . .)_

But then . . . _clunk!_

Another rock flew down from the rooftop to her left, hitting they guy in the skull. The man swore loudly, looking to where it had come from. As he did so, another one fell, this time catching him in the forehead and knocking him unconscious.

_What. The. Hell? _Karmyn thought, still frozen against the back wall. Slowly, her gaze turned towards where the large man was looking before he fell. What she saw caught her off-guard.

It was a girl. No, not a girl. More like a young woman in her late teens/ early twenties. Although it was kind of hard to see in the dark, Karmyn could make out that she had dark hair pulled back in a ponytail and was dressed all in black. She even wore what would seem as a sinister smile on her lips.

"Hey," she said, moving to sit on the edge of the tiled roof. "What's a young girl like you doing out here at this hour?" she asked, resting her chin in her hand as she looked down upon the fallen blonde. "Those are some mighty pretty eyes you got there," she commented.

"Who- who are you?" Karmyn asked around her deep inhalations. The woman threw back her head and laughed.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she said, smirking.

"Fine. What are you doing here? Why did you help me?" the beaten girl asked, a little stronger this time.

"Can't answer that first one, honey. But I couldn't stand to see a girl such as you be beaten to a pulp. So I decided to intervene."

"You're not going to attack me?" Karmyn asked warily, eyeing the stranger that was crouched on the roof.

"Nope. I don't hit girls, sweetie," she said before removing her chin from her hand and standing back up on the roof. "Stay safe, girlie. Although that would be quite a feat, travelling with the Elrics. We'll meet again, you can be sure of it." She delivered the last part of that speech over her shoulder, her hands in the pockets of her jacket. "See ya." With that, she disappeared from Karmyn's line of sight.

-o-O-o-

_I'll cut it there. I have to eat dinner now._

_I'm thinking of changing the genre from friendship to suspense. I think it would fit better! What do you think?_

_But, for now,_

_Sayonara!_


	39. 31 January, 1917 Cont II

_Chapter 39! Wow, we're almost at chapter 40 already . . . _

_I can't believe that I've been writing this story for 3 months already . . . time flies when you're having fun, I guess. But . . . chapter 40 next chapter. Wow._

_The Young Americans have been at our school for the past few days! If you didn't know, they're a group of college-age students who go around doing performances and workshops. It's been a LOT of fun, and we had our performance last night! I had a dance solo in 'hand jive.' What was really fun was that there were three Japanese people within the cast, who had actually been born and grew up in Japan. The guy, I don't remember his name, but I wish I did, introduced a Japanese song that they were doing, and bowed. I had a bit of a fangirl moment there . . . But it was really truly awesome. If they EVER come around to your town, SIGN UP. Trust me, if you don't, you'll wish you had._

_And I was told that I have the highest grade in Geometry for this semester so far . . . that made me happy._

_Moving on . . ._

_Oh! And if you can actually guess who the mysterious woman was in the last chapter, I will be extremely impressed!_

-o-O-o-

**31 January, 1917**

Karmyn lay against the wall for a few minutes after that, recovering her breath. She had never felt so beaten in her life. Then again, she had never gotten into a fight, either. As soon as she could breathe normally again, she started to get to her feet. She wavered a little, but eventually regained her balance. Bracing a hand against a wall of the alley, she looked down at the large man sprawled at her feet. His smashed gun still lay a few feet behind.

_Thank you, woman. You saved my life,_ she thought gratefully. _Now then, I should probably get this guy back to Al._ With that, she bent over and grabbed the man by his two thick wrists. She positioned herself behind him, and with all her might, began to pull. At first, he didn't move. Then, gradually, she started to make headway, until his feet were leaving a track in the dirt behind them.

She stopped when she reached the gun. Realizing that it could be valuable evidence against the guy (if Amestris had fingerprint-dusting techniques), she dropped the man's wrists. With her coat sleeve over her hand to prevent any of _her_ fingerprints from marring any of his, she picked the smashed gun up and dropped it onto the man's belly. Quickly, she checked to make sure that he was still unconscious, and once again began to drag him through the alley.

A minute later, she had to stop once again. Bending over, she picked up her staff. It had been knocked to the ground when the man ran into it. She couldn't assess the amount of damage it had taken, as it was still too dark out to tell. _I hope it isn't too beaten up,_ she thought passionately, _Winry would kill me. I don't need _two_ near-death experiences!_

She started as the man below her began to shift. Panicking, she took her staff and slammed the butt of it down across his head, causing him to lie still once again. She cringed after the fact, hoping that she hadn't killed him.

This night was not going well for her. She crouched down jerkily to check that he was still breathing, which- luckily- he was. Or would it be better if he wasn't? What was the proper protocol when one was dragging a criminal through the back alleys of a small country town?

Karmyn quickly collapsed her staff and clipped it to her belt once more. Taking the man's wrists once again, she continued her haul through the shady backwoods of Ceredigion.

It took longer than she would have liked, as she had to take a long route in order to avoid the wall that she had leapt multiple times. She still cringed when she remembered Al's question. She would have to explain that at some point, she supposed. Still, it wasn't something she would enjoy doing . . .

At last, she reached the main road of the small town. Her arms were exhausted, and her legs were quivering like mad. _I won't be able to go for much longer_, she thought to herself

Each step was more painful than the other and gradually, her pace slowed. It soon became blaringly obvious to her that she hadn't gotten any sleep that night. Her head grew woozy, and everything just seemed distance. The weight at her arms was still there, but they weren't her arms anymore. She was trapped inside her own head, but still she kept moving forward. She had to, if she was going to apprehend this criminal.

Karmyn was relieved when at last she saw the lights of the inn. She tried to push on, but they never seemed to get any closer. Her vision tunneled, and she misplaced a step. As her eyes closed, she felt a sensation of falling. She dreaded the impact with the ground, but it never came. Instead, a pair of strong arms caught her underneath her own.

"_Gotcha."_

-o-O-o-

When Karmyn woke up, she found herself lying in a bed. For a moment, she thought she was back in her own room in Boston. But then the memories of everything that had happened since then came flooding back to her, overwhelming her. It was all she could do to prevent herself from crying. In that moment, lying in bed and aching all over, she wanted her mother more than ever. But that was impossible.

Once she had herself under control, she surreptitiously wiped the tiny bit of wetness away from her eyes and composed herself. She moved to sit up, only to be barred by pain. Wincing, she allowed herself to fall back onto the bed.

_That was a . . . bad idea,_ she thought grimly. She lay back with her head against the pillow, staring up at the ceiling of the room. Bored, she began to trace the many cris-crossing rafters that prevented the roof from collapsing in on her. Having done that a few times, she moved onto counting the boards that made up the ceiling. The room quite reminded her of one of those mountain lodges that were made completely of wood.

Karmyn heard, rather than saw, the door open. Not wanting to move, not wanting to feel the pain again, she instead looked out the corner of her eye at the figure that had entered. Seeing that it was Al, she smiled minutely. "Hey," she said raspily. She mentally cringed at the sound of her voice. She needed water, and fast.

Al continued into the room, dragging a suitcase over beside his friend's bed. Sitting down, he placed the tray he was carrying on the set of drawers that also made up the sidetable. "Awake now?" He asked, handing her a glass off of the tray. "How are you feeling?"

She grabbed it shakily, attempting to ignore the pain and failing. Carefully, she poured a little of the liquid into her mouth, trying not to get it onto the bedsheets. Drinking was rather difficult when one was lying down. After a couple minutes, she felt well enough to respond. "Better," she joked, using Ed's standard response.

Al raised an eyebrow, knowing exactly what she was doing.

Karmyn started to laugh, but quickly stopped due to the pain. "If you must know," she said, "I hurt like Hell. But I'm not dead, so I should be grateful for that." She paused for a moment, thinking things over. "Hey, Al? Could you help me sit up? It's kind of odd, lying here and talking like this."

"What? Oh, sure," he responded. The two of them struggled for a minute or so, but in the end, Karmyn was sitting with her back against the headboard.

"Much better," she sighed.

Awkward silence.

"Soo . . . what happened to the guy? Did you get him?" she asked, remembering the reason why she was stuck in bed in the first place.

"Yep, we got 'im all right. A good thing, too. His name's John Wilder, and apparently he's been on the military's wanted list for a while now. The local authorities were amazed when we dragged him in unconscious . . ."

Karmyn flushed a little at that, remembering how she had hit him over the head with her staff. "So he's still alive?" she asked, just to be sure.

"He was still breathing when I left him there," Al said. "You really did a number on him, though."

She held her arms out in front of her, pulling up the sleeves of the shirt she was wearing. The two teens winced at the bright purples, blacks, and yellow-greens that mottled the skin. Karmyn bit her lip, eyeing the damage that had been done. "Thank you," she whispered softly.

"Thank you?" Al was confused.

"Snowballs. They saved my life. You had that planned out all along, didn't you? All those snowball fights back in Resembool, the rule how I had to dodge them or block them with my arms . . . you had it planned! You knew this might happen!"

Al looked down at the ground sheepishly. "Yeah," he admitted, "I did."

"So thank you. I would have died if I hadn't figured that out! Even so, I almost did . . ."

"What do you mean by that?" he asked sharply.

"He got through my defenses," she said, looking at her hands. "He landed three blows. Two to my shoulders, one to my stomach. I lost my balance, and ended up sitting against the back wall of the alley I was in. He had a gun too, but . . . someone . . . some woman was on the roof, and threw a rock that knocked the gun out of his hand. And then, a few minutes later, hit him on his temple when he was about to kill me. Then, she just disappeared . . ."

"A mysterious woman? Dressed all in black?" Al inquired.

"Yes- wait. How did you know that?"

"Because she- whoever she was- came and found me. She told me that you were dragging the criminal back, and were pretty beaten up and exhausted. I was confused, but she pointed in a direction and told me to run. So I did and found you, about to pass out. I caught you just in time."

Karmyn thought back to the last moments that she remembered- _"Gotcha."_

_So that's how he caught me in time,_ she realized. _Once again, I'm indebted to you, Woman._

"But she said something odd as I was leaving," he continued, "It was something like 'glad to see he got you back,' but . . . how did she know? I mean . . ." he trailed off, completely bewildered. She had to admit, it really was confusing. Most people believed that the Elrics had been dead . . . but she knew that they weren't? And the fact that she said 'glad to see HE got you BACK' . . .

"She said something to me, too," Karmyn mentioned, "She told me to stay safe, but she said that it would be a feat, travelling with the Elrics. I didn't think too much about it at first, but now I'm wondering how she knew I was with you. It sounds as if she's travelled with you before as well . . ."

"Well," Al said, "There is the flamel that's on your coat. She might've seen that and connected it with Brother."

"But she still would have had to have been around Ed in order to recognize it . . ."

"Hmm." Al pondered this for a minute. "I don't remember any dark-haired woman wearing black travelling with us at any point in time. We'll have to ask Brother when we meet again."

Karmyn agreed that it was the best course of action, but it did nothing to satisfy her current curiosities. That woman had reminded her of someone, she knew that much. But she couldn't place a finger on it. It was nearly driving her insane, and she didn't like it.

_Well_, she thought, _considering I'll probably be stuck in this bed for another day or two, I'll have plenty of time to think it through._

-o-O-o-

_There. Finally got it done._

_Do you think that this story needs a new summary? 'Cause the one it has now doesn't even go into describing what happens . . . PLEASE let me know._

_Sayonara!_


	40. Chronicling the Events of August 4, 2001

_Okay, here's _A_ chapter, though not one that continues the story. I've come down with a major case of writer's block, but I thought of this one-shot, so I'm gonna write this and hope it cures me. At the same time, you WILL get a chapter this weekend._

_I just kind of thought of this, while on a bus to a marching band function on Saturday. And I was like, _this could work._ And I have writer's block, so I could actually write it. So, enjoy!_

_Think of it as a Chapter 40 Special_

-o-O-o-

**Somewhere near the beginning of our story, when Karmyn and the Elrics weren't talking.**

Edward and Alphonse sat, or rather sprawled on the floor of their extensive home library, reading over some texts that they had read a million times before. It was just habit for them, to be surrounded by piles of books. It was one that they had never fully grown out of in the ninety years that they had been on the other side of the Gate.

Ed yawned as he finished the book that he had been poring over for the past hour or so. None too gently, he slammed it down onto the pile of books to his left side. Glancing up, he saw Al a little further down the aisle formed by the looming bookcase, also absorbed into whatever he was reading.

Funny thing was, they had already read all the books in the library twenty-someodd times over.

Turning his attention back to his own stack of books, he stretched his arms over his head, interlocking his fingers. He winced when he heard the gears in his prosthetic protest. He sighed dejectedly, bringing his arms back down to his sides. He loved the prosthetics of this era, how they could blend in so that one couldn't even notice it was fake, but he sorely wished for his automail back sometimes.

He stood up, stretching out his back as well. He had been sitting there for way too long. After he had worked out the kinks, he made his way over to a new shelf to find something different. Standing before the impressive structure, he closed his eyes and reached out with his right arm- the one he couldn't feel anything with. If he was going to choose a random book, then he was going to do it right.

After running his hand along various rows of books, he finally allowed it to rest upon one bound book about three quarters of the way up to the right side. Opening his eyes, he drew it out and flipped it so that he could see the cover.

He blew the dust off, causing him to have to stifle a sneeze from the small cloud that formed around him. When he looked again, he could read what he had written on the cover in his own spiky handwriting. _England: 2001-2010 (1 of 10)_

_Oh! This is our journal from our years in England,_ Ed thought with surprise. He had forgotten about this one. It was one of the few books that he hadn't read twenty times. Curious, he returned to his place upon the floor. He remembered many of the details from the previous country, but he couldn't remember everything. This particular journal was from a decade ago. Grateful that he and his brother had decided to keep detailed documents of every day on this side of the Gate, he began to read.

He was approximately a quarter of the way through the book when something caught him cold. _It couldn't be . . . could it?_ He thought wonderingly. "Hey, Al," he managed to get out, though it sounded a little off.

"Yeah, Brother? What is it?" Alphonse put his own book down, crawling over to where his brother was staring wide-eyed at the page.

"Just . . ." Ed flipped back to the pages beforehand and pointed to the date. "Read from here onwards."

Al did so, albeit a little confused. As he read on, though, he was brought back to that one day, ten years ago.

The date?

-o-O-o-

_**August 4, 2001  
><strong>__Cambridge, England_

(A/N- I'm telling this part in 3rd person omniscient, not first person like a journal entry)

_Edmund and Alan Rockwell were in a secluded corner of a park, talking in low tones so that one passing by couldn't hear them. They looked as if they were natives of the country, but if one were to hear them speak, they would be able to tell immediately that the two were foreigners. They spoke in English, but they had an obvious Japanese accent._

"_Brother, you _know_ we don't have to be hiding like this," Alan pointed out to his (yes, _elder_) brother. "We've done this a bunch of times already. This is no different!"_

"_Al, that woman got into all of our old notes and journals and everything. She KNOWS everything. We have to be even more careful than before!"_

"_Whose fault was it that the room was unlocked? Who was in there last?"_

_Edmund looked to the side and muttered something inaudible. He then spoke up. "And I liked it in Japan, too. We were able to live there for a good twenty-someodd years because my-" here, Edmund's eyebrow twitched as he gritted his teeth. "-height wasn't as abnormal, and it was easy to say that we had an American father, so we didn't look fully Japanese." he finished. "Though Father _did_ have some difficulty fitting in," he grinned with pleasure at the thought. He recognized the man as his father now, but it didn't mean that he liked him._

"_We knew that it couldn't last much longer anyways. It was starting to get suspicious, how we hadn't aged at all since high school. That woman just gave us an incentive to get out of there faster."_

"_I guess. Even if she says anything, everyone else will just think it's fiction. Still . . ." Edmund trailed off._

"_We'd better be careful."_

_The two of them sat there for another half hour, not saying anything. Finally, Edmund stood up. "Come on, Al. We'd best get back."_

"_Yeah," the younger sibling agreed._

_The two of them exited the park, walking down the road to where their father worked, at a nearby college. They were on campus when they saw a young girl walking towards them. She couldn't have been more than seven, but . . . where were her parents? The brothers were thinking the same thing, and they exchanged that with a glance. Al crouched down so that he was more level with the girl._

"_Hello," he said, "Where'd you come from?"_

_The girl stopped, looking back over her shoulder towards the large building. Holding out an arm, she pointed. "There!"_

_She came from the college? What? Both Edmund and Alan were confused. "Where's your mother?" Ed asked her._

_The seven-year-old bit her lip. "Back there," she told them. "But she's busy now."_

"_What are you doing way out here?"_

"_I'm bored," she said. "I've got no one to play with."_

_Both Elrics ('cause that was who they were) were suddenly hit with an image of Elicia, of . . . Nina. Nina, who had once said the exact same thing. Nina, who had been killed when she was around the same age as this girl in front of them._

"_We'll play with you," Al said. "I'm Alan, and my brother's Edmund."_

"_Really?" The girl grinned. "Yay!"_

_The two teens followed the seven year old back towards the college building, where she picked up a stick and found a patch of dirt. They watched as she began to draw in the dirt with the stick._

"_Are you going to draw?" she asked them, picking up two more small sticks and holding them out to the two boys. They took them graciously, starting to sketch random doodles in the sand. Ed's, unfortunately, weren't much better than the time he had drawn Envy._

"_Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium . . ."_

_The Elrics paid no heed to the soft sing-songy words that started to sound in the air. They knew them by heart; they didn't need to pay attention . . ._

"_Boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine . . ."_

_Or did they?_

_With a jolt they realized that it was the girl that was singing them out softly, as if they were a nursery rhyme and not the elements of the periodic table. They stopped drawing and watched as the young seven-year-old drew out the squares to form the familiar table._

"_. . . Silicon, phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, argon, potassium, calcium . . ." The young girl stopped and froze, her mind blanking out on her._

"_Scandium," Alphonse whispered to her._

_The girl beamed, able to continue her reciting. She stopped before she reached palladium, having not memorized that far._

_At that moment, a woman's voice carried itself to their ears. Looking over, the brothers found the source, dressed in a crisp dress suit with her hair pulled back from her face. "Oh, honey. I'm so sorry. That took longer than I expected. Are you all right? It looks like you made some new friends!"_

"_Yep! This is Edmund and Alan!" The young girl answered enthusiastically._

"_Well, thank you for taking care of my daughter, boys. I hope she wasn't too much of a problem?"_

"_Not at all, Mrs. . . ."_

"_Dallas," the woman answered, shaking Ed's hand. "Well, nice meeting you. Maybe we'll see you again before we have to go back home to Boston. Would you like that, sweetie?"_

"_YES!"_

"_Alright Edmund, Alan. Take care now!"_

_With that, the unusual pair walked off towards the college parking lot._

_They were almost there when the young blonde looked back, fixating upon them with unusual sapphire blue and deep green eyes. "Bye-bye!" she called._

_The brothers didn't get to see her again before she left._

-o-O-o-

"I had forgotten about that day," Al said. "You don't mean . . . that was _her_?"

"I'm pretty sure," Edward replied. "Who else could have had '_Unusual eyes that were both blue and green'_?" he asked, reading directly from the text in front of him. "Besides, her mother had the last name Dallas- it's too much of a coincidence."

"Karmyn did say that she had memorized the periodic table by the time she was nine . . ." Alphonse mused, rereading the part about the girl reciting the elements. "At age seven, it's likely that she was already memorizing the names."

The two boys fell silent. Well this was awkward. In all their ninety years, they had never run into someone again after leaving the country and changing their identities. To think that it would happen now, with someone who was actually their age when they met again . . .

"Do you think her mother knew Dad? He was working at the University that day that she was there on business," Al suggested.

"It's possible," Edward conceded, "But he was under disguise as well, so she won't remember . . . but . . . Father _would._"

"Dad would remember Mrs. Dallas? Wait- maybe _that's_ why he chose to give Karmyn that second chance! Because he remembered her mother!"

The realization hit them like a ton of bricks. Suddenly, it all made sense.

"Brother? Do you think we should tell her?"

"Who, Karmyn? No, I don't think so. I don't think she would remember. She _was_ seven, after all . . . and I was a green-eyed redhead while you were brown-haired with blue eyes. I think we would just shock her."

Al had to agree with that statement. It was probably best to let sleeping dogs lie.

With a mutual agreement, the old journal went back upon the shelf, the information hidden once more. Karmyn would never know that she had once met her two best friends, ten years before.

-o-

She had been around seven; they had been around sixteen and seventeen.

She was seventeen; they were sixteen and seventeen.

She would be about twenty-seven; they would still be about sixteen and seventeen.

-o-

Of course, that was _before_ the events of the coming week.

-o-O-o-

_And that concludes that. This will not come back to have any real relevance in the story, nor will the Elrics ever mention it. So don't expect to see any of this information come up later. :)_

_Anyhow. That's that, so . . ._

_Sayonara!_


	41. 1 February, 1917

_I feel so happy that I just want to write another chapter! Why?_

**I'm going to the **_**Another Anime Convention**__**2011 **_**(AAC2011) Nashua!**_ My first convention EVER! THIS WEEKEND!_

_Is anyone else going? (Kinda doubt it, but, I never know.) If so, I'm gonna be cosplaying as the Red Whirlwind from Romeo x Juliet! It's a handmade costume, and I have dark blonde curlyish hair and blue eyes. There's no question to whether I'm going to the FMA panels- of course I am! _Risembool Rangers/Miniskirt Army Combined Panel _and _The Future of Fullmetal Fandom_. I'll be there!_

_Of course, if you're a creeper, please disregard above statement! ;)_

_Moving on . . ._

_I hit 100,000 words with this chapter. It's a huge milestone! I'm so happy! *squee* I've been writing this for a couple months shy of half a year already . . . O.O; Wow._

MY 300TH REVIEWER: You will get to give me a scenario for a oneshot pertaining to this story. I will write it, and it will be published! Has to be T or under. No crossovers, yaoi, yuri, or anything else of that such. I won't write it. Period. But it's your chance to see something happen that you really want to happen, even though it might not fall within the events that I have planned!

SUMMARY CONTEST: I feel as if this story needs a new summary. If you want to write one for me, by all means, do so. I may or may not choose to change it, but if I do, then your name will be stated as the author of the summary. I think the fans might be better at coming up with a summary than I would be!

_Alright, then! Let's get this show on the road!_

-o-O-o-

**1 February, 1917**

It was cold outside.

Of course- it being the middle of winter and all- that didn't startle Karmyn one bit.

She was wrapped up in her black coat, holding it snugly around her body. Every so often, she would shift her arms to resettle her grip, but she tried to avoid doing so. It still hurt. Even though she knew that _technically_ she should still be in bed, she had convinced Al to help her down to the front of the inn, where she took a seat upon the low stone wall that ran the perimeter of the property.

After assessing the damage dealt, she knew that it could have been much worse. As far as she could tell, she was bruised from head to toe, but nothing had been broken. She was breathing fine, though it hurt like hell to do so. She had also lost the ability to stand on her own without pain wracking throughout her body, but at least she had a friend to help her with that problem.

At the moment, one would find her resting in the corner of the wall, where it rose to form the pillars for the gates. Her iPod was resting in her lap, the earbuds in her ears. She mouthed along quietly to the song that was playing, her eyes closed. Her just-past-shoulder-length hung loose, down in front of her face.

Karmyn sighed. She still hurt all over. She hadn't been all that shocked when she had gotten beaten up. She knew that it was risky, living in Amestris. Crime rates were high, and travelling with the Elrics (or Elric) only made things worse. A cold fist enclosed around her heart when she thought of the fact that this would be her home for the rest of her life- crime and all.

It hadn't really hit her how much her life had changed, and how different it would be. Living with the Rockbells and the Elric brothers in Resembool was almost like she was home again, even though it was blaringly obvious that she wasn't. It was _similar_ to what it was like in America, sans the large city she lived in. The train rides were iffy, but she could almost pretend that she was back in England again.

But- nearly getting killed in a dark alley? Her being out in the dark alley in the first place? Alright, so . . . maybe she _had_ been in a couple dark alleys before, back in Boston, but not while chasing criminals! She had never been so beaten back home. Her mom wasn't around, and she wouldn't be going to school anymore, even!

_Uh, oh,_ she thought as the few thoughts broke the bridges for a thousand more to come flooding through her head. Her regrets, her sorrows, her thoughts of the old world. Her fears, her future, and how she would be living her life. She tensed when she felt a frozen sensation upon her cheek.

Raising her hand to her face despite the pain, she was mortified to find that she was crying. _No,_ she cried internally, _I can't do this! I have to be strong in this world!_ But it wouldn't stop. If anything, her tears only intensified. They streamed down her face, leaving little gleaming tracks in their wake.

She didn't want anyone to see her like this. She _couldn't _let anyone see her like this! Biting her lip against the instant pain, she wrenched her body into a small ball, her knees drawn up to her chest. Wrapping her arms around her knees, she buried her face within them. She tried her best not to make any sound, half-praying that nobody would come out to find her.

"Karmyn?" A soft voice reached her ears through her earbuds. She had no idea how long she had been sitting there, crying. It had most likely been a substantial amount of time. But . . . did Al really have to come? He'd already done too much for her. Too much.

"You didn't have to come looking for me," she said, her voice muffled by her arms. Although she was unable to see, Al smiled softly.

"Of course I did," he told her. "You're my friend, and you're obviously in pain. I can't just leave you here like this."

"You know, that's the same thinking that landed me in this mess," she countered bitterly. She couldn't look up. She just couldn't. "It would be better if you learned from my mistakes."

Al knew then what was bugging her. He was starting to wonder if maybe it was a medical condition. He was starting to think it was something somewhat related to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. His friend managed to keep her emotions hidden for a good portion of the time, but when something broke through her defenses, she fell to pieces. He hoped that it was something that would be quelled with time.

"So you're saying that I should forget about you? Forget what you've done for me? For Brother? You can't expect me to abandon someone who's helped me so much, someone who I consider to be my best friend!" He raised his voice slightly, somewhat agitated. _How could she say that?_

That admission caused the girl to falter in her breathing. _Best friend?_ She immediately shook that from her head. "Yes, I do," she forced herself to say. "I could easily get you killed on some dark night. I'm a liability, Al. You should know that. Your brother certainly does."

_She knew? Did Brother tell her something?_ Al wondered. Then he realized that his brother didn't need to- Karmyn was plenty intelligent enough to figure it out herself. Inwards, he cursed. "Karmyn, you know how Brother is with people. Our track record of friends has not been great. Hughes . . . he died after trying to help him. The homunculi killed him. Greed's dead . . . He just doesn't want another friend to be killed because of us."

Karmyn supposed that was true, but still . . . "Because of _you?_ I'M gonna be the one to get you killed. My life will be threatened at some point in time, and one of you will come to save me, getting killed in the process. It's not worth it!"

_Damn. Does she really have to have these moments of self-depreciation?_ Al thought, frustrated. She could be really difficult when she wanted to be. "Listen," he said, "We're going to fight through this together, alright? Stop getting so depressed all the time. Winry made you that staff, right? So learn to use it. We're not leaving you behind. Get up, move forward. Remember Brother's quote, whatever. But you're coming with us."

He kind of felt bad as he turned to walk back to the inn. He hadn't really offered any consolation to her like he had in the past. But inside, he knew that he had done right, despite how difficult it may have been. She needed to get over whatever it was she was going through. She wasn't going to do that if she got coddled every time she started crying. It was what Ed would do. Still, he was slightly worried for her mental health. He would have to keep an eye on her for the rest of the trip.

Karmyn watched him go. She had finally lifted her face from her arms, the cold wind stinging the wetness on her cheeks. His words had stung, but they stuck. Al was right. She had to learn to get stronger, or else she _would_ get them killed. Her heart twinged at the thought, her eyes still riveted on his retreating back. Suddenly, she couldn't hold herself together any longer.

She sighed as she felt her limbs go limp, falling away from her body. It hurt, but not as much as it had in the past. Slowly, she turned her face towards the sky, where snow was starting to fall lightly. She would make it. She could live this life. She just had to have confidence.

It wouldn't do much, just sitting around. They had to leave soon.

Tonight.

-o-O-o-

_Wow. I actually managed to write a chapter during the week. Well, this might be this weekend's chapter- as I'm gonna be busy! XD_

_I know this chapter was short, but really, I couldn't help it. Just be thankful that you actually got a chapter! (Especially when I'm supposed to be studying for a biology quiz tomorrow)_

_Again, thank you for reading- it means so much to me as the chapter numbers continue to increase in value. Please read the note above if you hadn't already done so, and see you next chapter! (Or at the convention!)_

_Sayonara!_


	42. 1 February, 1917 Cont

_Alright, here's your chapter of the week._

_I can't believe that I've hit over 100,000 words already . . . wow. XD It makes me really happy, and tells me that I have no life . . . which I'm okay with._

_Now then, the announcements:_

MY 300TH REVIEWER: You will get to give me a scenario for a oneshot pertaining to this story. I will write it, and it will be published! Has to be T or under. No crossovers, yaoi, yuri, or anything else of that such. I won't write it. Period. But it's your chance to see something happen that you really want to happen, even though it might not fall within the events that I have planned!

SUMMARY CONTEST: I feel as if this story needs a new summary. If you want to write one for me, by all means, do so. I may or may not choose to change it, but if I do, then your name will be stated as the author of the summary. I think the fans might be better at coming up with a summary than I would be! **(Winner announced in chapter 45)**

_I have one entry for the summary contest. Come on people! This is your chance!_

_Anyhow . . . on with the story, shall we?_

-o-O-o-

**1 February, 1917**

Once again, Karmyn found herself sitting in an uncomfortable 1917 train car booth, set for another ride that would take multiple hours. Luckily, it wasn't going to be nearly as long as any of the other trips she had been on so far. Their diversion in Ceredigion had provided a welcome break. Of course, it hadn't really been a 'break' as such . . .

She sighed as she stared out the window at the rapidly receding scenery, watching it flash by before disappearing out of sight. It hurt. It hurt all over, and yet she had insisted on leaving that night rather than waiting another day or two. Glancing across to where her companion sat, she saw that he was out cold, his head resting against the wall of the train.

_He must've not gotten all that much sleep again last night,_ she realized. He had told her of his insomnia problem, an effect of not being able to sleep for almost five years of his life. It hadn't fixed itself during his ninety years in the other world, as it was a biological clock issue, and his biological clock was still on Amestrian time. A year hadn't been enough to set it straight.

Karmyn turned her attention back to the window and began to zone out. She thought back to earlier that day, when they were saying goodbye to Isabella and Farley. They had seen them off at the station, thanking them for all that they had done. Al had gotten on the train soon after, but Karmyn had hung back for another minute or so, not quite wanting to board the train yet.

A random thought passed through her head. _"Are you two dating?"_ she had asked them. _(A/N- not in English here. It's a flashback-y-type-thing)_

Isabella laughed. _"Nah. He's just a really good friend. I used to think I liked him that way, but it was only because I'm an only child, and I couldn't understand what it was like to love someone like a sibling. Other people do see it the other way more often than not, though."_

"_Ah, okay. I get it,"_ Karmyn had replied. She jumped as she heard the train whistle. _"Oops, I gotta run. I hope to see you around sometime!"_

She hadn't waited for a response; she had just gotten to the train as fast as she could without collapsing due to the pain. She had found her way to where Al had sat, and slid into the seat across from him.

And that brought her up to now.

For some reason, Isabella's words kept ringing in her ears. _"I couldn't understand what it was like to love a sibling."_ It hit home probably more than the younger girl had thought. Still staring out the window, Karmyn bit her lip.

She had told Winry that she had sort of liked Ed, one of the first nights that she had spent there. Even then, she had been unsure of her feelings. She had said that she felt something different towards him, something that she hadn't felt towards anyone else before. She had automatically assumed that to mean that she _liked_ him. But . . .

What if she had only considered him to be like a sibling to her?

_This should be easy enough to figure out,_ Karmyn thought. It was gonna embarrass her to hell, but it was the only way . . .

She imagined herself _kissing_ the short, stubborn, golden-eyed blond.

She couldn't say that it was _hard_ to imagine that. In fact, it was actually quite easy. However, that didn't really mean anything in the end. She was actually kind of repulsed by the idea- well, that was the wrong word. It was uncomfortable, embarrassing, and she didn't like it. She immediately pushed the mental image out of her head, thinking of other things to wipe the memory clean.

_I think that answers that,_ she told herself, _Winry can have him._

That was another thing- if she had actually liked Edward, she wouldn't have been completely okay with Winry liking him as well. Or Alphonse's plot to get the two of them together, which she thought was absolutely ingenious.

In fact, she was actually quite relieved at her revelation. It was kinda funny- back in her old world, she would have jumped at the chance to get a boyfriend, but now, she was really happy to find out that she _didn't_ like someone!

_Back home . . . _she thought. _Aw, shit. Come on, don't get depressed again! Not again!_ She bit her lip hard, trying to prevent herself from falling back into the black abyss of her mind. Looking frantically for something to do, she pulled out the report for Mustang, untouched and almost forgotten in the bottom of her briefcase.

-o-O-o-

Alphonse awoke when the train finally hissed to a stop. Karmyn was still sitting across from him, bent over her paper and squinting in the dim cabin light. Her pen was resting at her side, and now she was just reading over the paper for any typos (write-Os?).

"Ah, welcome back," she greeted her companion when she saw that he had come to. "I was just about to wake you up." She quickly slid her report into her travel case, clicking it closed. "Come on, if we don't get off now, we'll end up in some other little spot on the map, and I _really_ don't want to do that again."

Al laughed, standing up and stretching before grabbing his own luggage. "Let's go then," he told her.

The two of them disembarked to Central Station, which, now that Karmyn thought of it, reminded her of King's Cross in London. The two of them stood awkwardly for a couple minutes in the middle of the station. It was amazing how busy it was, considering the time. If it wasn't midnight, it was certainly close to it.

"We should probably call Ed . . ." Karmyn said. "He's probably wondering what happened to us."

"Shoot, I forgot about that," Al replied, his eyes wide. "It isn't supposed to take days to get to Central!"

"There's a phone right over there," she pointed out to the panicked Alphonse.

He quickly set down his trunks, pulling fifty Cens from his trouser pocket. _(A/N- A Cens is gonna be about equal to a Yen, where 100 Cens = 1 dollar. Remember the 520 Cens Promise? Yeah, I doubt Mustang would have given Edward $520. $5.20 I can see.)_ Karmyn watched as the younger Elric called his brother, wincing slightly at the beginning of the call. The call itself took approximately five minutes, and then Al was back with Karmyn, walking out of the station.

A thought suddenly occurred to the girl, seeing as Central was the military/government headquarters. A thought that was . . . slightly troubling.

"Al?" Karmyn said softly, "What if I'm arrested for not being a citizen? Remember what happened to Ling? And my dad? I've been here for a month without any paperwork, which has been somewhat okay since we were in Resembool and a small town, but now that we're back in Central . . ." She was honestly starting to worry about it.

Alphonse thought for a moment. The though had occurred to him as well, though he hadn't been expecting her to bring it up at that moment. "We'll talk to Mustang when we see him next," he said. "Hopefully there's a solution other than you joining the military or going to jail. I'm not completely informed on our immigration systems."

Well _that_ comforted her. Not.

"We'll figure it out in the morning," Al said. "Let's find a room at a hotel for tonight. It's too late to be knocking on anyone's door."

Karmyn could agree with that. It was too late to do anything now.

-o-O-o-

_This chapter sucked, and don't try to tell me otherwise. I suck at filler chapters, which is what this entire journey is, basically . . ._

_I have a poll on my profile. __**Should I write the entire journey, or do a time skip after the important parts like Dublith and whatnot?**__I would be grateful if you could take the time to vote!_

_Oh, and how do you think the quality of this story has been since the beginning? Has it gotten better? Worse? The same? How can I improve? I'd like some critique reviews as well as 'Oh my God this is great' reviews!_

_(My spell-checker sucks at grammar)_

'_AWKWARD' IN JAPANESE IS '_KIMAZUI'_!_

_Sayonara!_


	43. 2 February, 1917

_Alright, I need a break from my Semester Long Project introduction . . . so I'm gonna write a chapter. You good with that? I thought so._

_We just got a horrendous amount of snow in OCTOBER. There are approximately 12 inches out there. We lost power for twelve hours, from 9 last night until 9 this morning. Fun times, people. Fun times._

_**ANYHOW.**_

_The winner of my 300__th__ review contest goes to my infrequent, anonymous, yet faithful long-reviewer who often takes on the name __**RYNO**__. :P_

_However, his one-shot request actually fits too well into the storyline for it to be considered a one-shot, though I will have the story take that turn there, as much as I can allow it._

_SO! In your review, if you want to leave me a one-shot scenario, I will choose one of them to do alongside RYNO's request!_

_My summary contest is still going as well . . . I still only have one entry. Please? Will someone else please help me? Details here._

**SUMMARY CONTEST: I feel as if this story needs a new summary. If you want to write one for me, by all means, do so. I may or may not choose to change it, but if I do, then your name will be stated as the author of the summary. I think the fans might be better at coming up with a summary than I would be!** _**(Winner announced in chapter 45)**_

_I also have a __**poll**__ on my profile page. I'd appreciate it if you could __**vote**__._

_Oh! My sister joined on here. Her pennames' Darklighte. She hasn't' written anything yet, but I'd appreciate it if you could look her up! :)_

_And did you know that I still have this story saved as 'Alchemical Equations' on my computer? It sure takes me back . . ._

_Now then, onto the story._

-o-O-o-

**2 February, 1917**

Karmyn awoke with the sunrise that morning, despite only having fallen asleep a couple hours prior. Apparently, sleep doesn't come easily for one who is under constant threat of going to jail just for existing.

Alphonse was still asleep in the bed across the room from her. They hadn't bothered with getting two separate rooms. It had been late, and the two of them had been asleep on their feet by the time they had arrived at the hotel. Of course, Karmyn had still been awake enough to see that the receptionists had gotten the wrong idea, but she could've cared less.

Personally, she was really happy that her companion was still asleep. For someone with insomnia, waking up at the crack of dawn was really a bad idea, though a common occurrence. She tiptoed across the room, praying that the early 20th century floorboards didn't squeak under her 110 pounds of weight. Luckily, they didn't, and she made it into the kitchen area with little trouble. The 'kitchen area' really wasn't all that much, consisting of a few wooden counters, a sink, a small icebox and a table with two chairs. In Amestris, the procedure was that one usually went out to eat if they were staying in a hotel; therefore the small kitchenettes weren't truly equipped.

_Damn,_ she thought, opening the door to the (empty) icebox. She was hungry! She hadn't had anything to eat for dinner the night before, and she guessed that was what had woken her up so early. If she had been back home (_no, not 'home,'_ she told herself), she would have gone out to the nearest convenience store. However, being (technically) an illegal immigrant, she didn't want to risk her freedom to a stupid shopping trip. So, closing the icebox door, she tiptoed back to her bed and sat down.

The early morning sunrise streamed in through the window just over her bed, creating a square of light in the middle of the room, the light beams illuminated by the dust in the atmosphere.

_For most of my life, I've considered 'dawn' to be an overused and over poetic term for the sun rising._

Karmyn smiled softly, remembering her diary entry of the morning that changed her life forever. It was amazing, really. She had written that she could feel that something amazing was going to happen that day, and that it did. Her life changed, dramatically.

Sitting there, in the break of dawn, she could remember the events of the past months, her time in Boston, her mother, Katherine, and all that had happened since then, without getting depressed. It was the first time since she had arrived in this not-so-fictional realm that she could do so. There was just something about the atmosphere surrounding her, the tranquility of the early morning.

In fact so tranquil, she ended up falling asleep again.

The next thing she knew, it was light outside, and Alphonse was gently shaking her awake. She opened her eyes groggily. "Huh?" she asked unintelligently. "What time is it?"

"Almost eleven," Al responded, "I decided it was best just to let you sleep."

Oh, it was ironic how the tables could turn.

"Meh," she said, stretching out her limbs, careful to avoid punching her friend in the face as she did so. _I must have fallen asleep again,_ she thought. She couldn't decide whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. Looking back at her friend, she saw that he was already dressed, his hair brushed. She realized then that she must look like a mess herself.

"I'm up now," she said, righting herself to an upright position. Her stomach gurgled, loudly, and she remembered why she had woken up so early in the first place. She blushed at the noise her stomach had made, and she smiled sheepishly up at her friend.

"Give me a minute," she said to his smiling face. "Then we can go get breakfast."

-o-O-o-

Fifteen minutes later found the two of them walking down the streets of Central, heading to a café that Alphonse had remembered that his brother said was really good. He wouldn't know himself, as he had never actually _eaten_ there. Luckily, he remembered the name of the place, and they had no trouble finding it.

As the two of them sat down to eat, they discussed how they would go about talking to the military about the issue of Karmyn's lack of papers. She didn't have a passport, she didn't have citizenship, and she didn't have a visa. Unfortunately, it was also a concern that if they went into HQ inquiring about such things, she would still be arrested and put into jail.

It was really a troubling predicament.

On the other hand, breakfast was actually quite delicious.

Finally, they decided that they would go in to see Mustang. Karmyn had already met him, and her father was under his jurisdiction. If anyone was valid enough to vouch for her, it would be the General. But . . .

"Al?" Karmyn asked him, "How are we going to get _into_ HQ? Ed's the one with the pocketwatch . . ."

"Not anymore, he isn't!" Alphonse replied cheekily. He drew his hand out of his pocket, and on his finger swung the two-and-a-half-inch diameter shiny silver pendant on its chain. She gaped.

"Uh, what?" she asked, unbelieving.

Al smirked. "Brother gave this to me right before we left Resembool. He felt that we might need it."

"But-" she protested, "Isn't that impersonating a military officer? Isn't that punishable by the _law_? Forget keeping me out of jail- you're gonna get us both _into_ it!" She emphasized this point by throwing her hands into the air.

"Brother left a note inside it. Don't worry, we'll be safe."

Well, then. "Okay," Karmyn said, "But if this crazy idea lands us in jail, _he's_ the one paying the fees to bail us out!"

She was still unsure about this plan, but it was the only one they had. She hung back slightly as Alphonse approached the gates of HQ, watching as the military officer stopped him. Curious, she got close enough to hear their conversation.

"Halt!" the guard said. "You are not authorized to enter the premises. Let me see your identification."

ID? Good thing _she_ wasn't up there with him.

"You don't need to see my identification," Al responded.

Uhm, was she the only one getting _Star Wars_ vibes? Jedi mind trick, anyone?

Al held up Edward's pocket watch, which the guard took suspiciously. With a jerk of his head, he signaled his buddy to restrain the teen, who then proceeded to have his hands held behind his back. _(A/N- Al, I mean, not either of the officers)_

The suspicious soldier cracked the watch open. _Ed must have removed the alchemical seal on there_, Karmyn observed. She remembered that no one had ever been able to get the boy's watch open before.

The soldier froze, his eyes darting back and forth, reading what was on the inside of the clockwork device, paling visibly. He quickly snapped it closed, handing it back to Alphonse. The soldier's buddy let go of the Elric, and quickly stepped back. Al took the watch, signaling Karmyn to follow him through the gates. She quickly ran to catch up, and then, without another hitch, they were in.

-o-O-o-

"What was _written_ in there?" Karmyn asked. She was confused on what could have caused the soldier to react the way that he had.

Al handed her the watch, and she pressed the button on the top, clicking it open. On the inside of the cover, where the date _3. Oct. 11 (A/N- this is the date in Brotherhood, which this is based off of) _would have been engraved, was a piece of paper taped over the top, reading:

_To whom it may concern:_

_This is my BROTHER and my FRIEND._

_You WILL allow them in, on my authority as a State Alchemist._

_If that isn't sufficient, we share a close relationship with General Mustang._

_I CAN get you removed from your post._

_Yours,_

_Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist_

It was written in his spiky handwriting, his signature scrawled largely on what remained of the paper. Karmyn knew that it must have killed him to admit he had a 'close relationship' with the General, of all people, and she was surprised to find that he had used 'to whom it may concern.' Maybe he _had_ learned some things while residing on the other side of the Gate.

She shook her head sadly. "Some people will do anything to keep their jobs," she stated as she closed the watch, handing it back to Al.

"That's a fact Brother and I know," he responded, "all too well."

"Mmn." She made a noncommittal noise in response, not having anything to reply to what her friend had said. She knew that it was the truth, having seen it for herself on FMA.

A thought struck her. "Should we have called Mustang and informed him of our arrival today?" she asked.

"Probably," Al shrugged. "But he's most likely used to it, what with how Brother is."

"True," she told him.

Luckily, they made it past reception fine, and were soon walking down the impossibly tall hallway once again to stand before the impossibly tall doors of Mustang's impossibly ego-lifting office. _Showoff_, Karmyn thought.

Al pounded on the door, twice. Short after, a curt, deep voice sounded from the inside. "Come in."

They pushed the doors open, which wasn't nearly as hard as one would think, considering the size of them.

"Oh, it's you," Mustang said, throwing his pen down onto the table. "Is Fullmetal with you today, too?"

"No, sir. It's just us."

"Well, for that I should be grateful. Fullmetal will be along sometime, I assume. Now, what brings you here today?"

"Uhm, that would be me," Karmyn said, stepping forward. She was tired of Al speaking for her. "You see . . . I don't have any papers. I'm here illegally. We were wondering if there was some way to change that . . . that doesn't involve me getting thrown into jail."

"You do realize that this is an issue for the Fuhrer to decide, right?" Mustang said, leaning forward on his desk.

"Yes, sir. But you're the only one who actually understands our story, and we figured that it was probably a good idea to come to you first."

The General nodded slowly. "Yes, I suppose you were right, Miss Dallas. I'll have a word with the Fuhrer."

"Thank you, sir." Karmyn said gratefully. Remembering something, she pulled an envelope out of the bag that Alphonse had transmuted her to carry it in. "I have the report finished," she told the officer, placing the envelope on his desk.

"Thank you. I appreciate it," he said, moving it to the corner of the wooden surface. She knew it was important when it didn't go onto his mile-high 'to-be-burned-when-the-colonel-isn't-looking' inbox. "Now, if you two could wait outside for a bit? I'll try to contact the Fuhrer. No promises, though."

Karmyn hadn't expected any.

-o-O-o-

_Was Mustang in character there? I just can't seem to get a hold on it . . ._

_And does anyone actually read my rambling author's notes? They sometimes have a purpose, you know._

_And has anyone seen _Stardust_? That really obscure movie from 2007 that didn't have any publicity or advertisement? I'm just curious, 'cause I watched it and I loved it. But anyhow._

_KarmaHope, signing off._

_Sayonara!_


	44. 2 February, 1917 Cont

_I now remember why I don't like to write Harry Potter fanfiction stories . . . nobody reviews them. I updated _A Five Year Old's Solace_ and over 600 people read it. How many reviews did I get? _ONE.

_I mean, really people? You can't even drop one line? Sheesh . . ._

_Well, enough with that rant . . ._

**SUMMARY CONTEST: I feel as if this story needs a new summary. If you want to write one for me, by all means, do so. I may or may not choose to change it, but if I do, then your name will be stated as the author of the summary. I think the fans might be better at coming up with a summary than I would be!** _**(Winner announced in chapter 45)**_

_I wrote a short one-shot . . . I might build upon it someday, but not right now. It's called _It Was Over._ Just thought I'd put it out there . . ._

_Can you believe that I've already had two snow days? In OCTOBER? (Well, today's November, but it's close enough.) The roads are clear and the schools have power, but more than half the town is without power. I, however, _do_ have power, the only one out of my five other friends. So, I'm updating._

-o-O-o-

**2 February, 1917**

It seemed like eternities as the two comrades stood out in the hall. It nearly killed Karmyn that she couldn't hear what the General was saying, especially since he was talking about _her_ to the most powerful man in the country. She anxiously shifted from foot to foot, pacing across the outside of Mustang's office.

Alphonse watched her, knowing that if he were in her place, he would most likely be doing the same thing. Who wouldn't, really? If the Fuhrer refused to grant her citizenship, or at least legal residence, she would most likely either find herself in jail or shipped out of the country, where she would have the same problem no matter _where_ they sent her.

In reality, it was only about fifteen minutes that they stood there. Well, that Al stood there and Karmyn paced. Al didn't try to make conversation, knowing that the atmosphere was too tense for it to be appreciated. He wished that he could do something to placate her, but what, he didn't know. So instead, he just stood here, following her with his eyes.

At last, the doors swung open and the General stepped out. Karmyn halted in her pacing, jerking around to face the blue-clad man. She held her breath, waiting for what was, essentially, the future of her fate. As she saw it, it could go two ways.

1. She would be refused an audience with the Fuhrer, and instead be sent to jail or out of the country (She honestly hoped that, in the event of being deported, she would be sent to Xing.)

_Or_

2. She would be allowed an audience with the Fuhrer, wherefore the decision of her fate would be delayed.

It all hung in the balance . . .

She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she started when Mustang began to speak. Luckily, she had only missed a word or two.

". . . Has decided that, upon the circumstances provided, Karmyn Dallas shall be granted an audience with him to decide the matter of legal residence," said Mustang, his tone deep and official-like.

Karmyn could feel herself go weak in the knees. Unsure if she'd be able to support her own weight, she reached out hand and pressed it against Al's shoulder, resting some of her weight on it. He quickly shifted his balance to accommodate.

"Thank you," she said. She wished that she could be stronger at this moment in time, act as if she hadn't been affected. She wished that she could stand properly in the presence of the high-ranking military officer, but alas, her body wouldn't allow her. "Sir," she added onto the end.

Mustang smiled, his official demeanor vanishing. "It's alright. I explained your circumstances to him, and he was really quite curious. Don't be surprised if you have to explain more in detail. I also read over your report, and it was really quite impressive. Well done to boot. I wish your friend could write a report half as decent as the one you gave me."

"Thank you, sir," she said, her knees deciding to support her weight again. She straightened up, removing her hand from Al's shoulder.

"You said that I should ask you about the last bit of the report, a piece that you didn't include with the rest of it."

Oh. Karmyn had forgotten about that bit. "Yes, sir," she said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a couple pieces of paper folded into a small square. "It's about _that _bit. I figured that it would be a very bad thing if the information got into the wrong hands, so I didn't include it with the rest of the report."

The General nodded, taking the small square from her hands. It was the bit of the report about the Philosopher's Stone- how it was actually made of an element and all that. Considering how _powerful _the stone was, it wasn't a good idea to go openly writing, or talking, about it.

"You should be able to find the Fuhrer's office without much difficulty. It's hard to miss. Just head down that hallway," Mustang said, pointing, "and take a left. It's the only office with doors larger than mine."

Karmyn acknowledged that she understood, looking to Alphonse. "You go on ahead," he told her. "I have something I need to discuss with the General."

Her gaze darted back to the dark-haired man before them. His expression told her that he hadn't known anything about it. She bit the inside of her cheek. "Okay," she said. "Down the hall and to the left, doors larger than these. Got it."

With that, and one last glance between the two others, she started to head towards her destination.

-o-O-o-

She reached the grandiose doors of the Fuhrer's office in little time. Mustang had been right- it wasn't hard to miss. Standing outside the office, she stopped to compose herself. This wasn't something she could walk into unprepared.

Taking a deep breath, she reached out for the door handle, grasping it firmly within her hand. Releasing the air, she timidly pushed the door open, peering inside.

"Welcome," sounded the voice from the desk that lay at the head of the room. "Please, do enter."

Karmyn bit her lip before stepping into the room and closing the door. She wasn't experienced with events like these! She had only ever met the governor of Massachusetts once, and that was on her fifth grade field trip!

Gathering herself, she walked forwards into the office with a confidence that wasn't there. She was on her own, with no one there to back her up. _Screw this up, and I'll have let everyone down,_ she thought grimly. Edward, Alphonse- they were waiting for her. Her father was, too. Her mother- her mother had thought she had what it took to make it in this world, thereby sacrificing herself to make that possible.

Karmyn would let her down the most if she failed here.

"Sit down," the Fuhrer commanded her. She knew it was wise to obey.

If this was Brotherhood (which she believed it was- mostly), then the current Fuhrer would be Grumman. Her suspicions were confirmed when the old man turned to face her, leaning forward on his desk.

"You must be Karmyn Dallas," he said finally.

"Yes, sir," she said with a small nod. _Was that right?_ She worried, _is 'sir' proper here? 'Your Excellency' seems too . . . _she couldn't think of the right word, but she thought it would just sound weird.

"Your parents are . . ." he prompted.

"Sergeant Major Robert Marco Cross and Marie Elaine Dallas."

Fuhrer Grumman smiled. "Please girl. You don't have to be so uptight with me at the moment. There's no one else here."

Karmyn visibly relaxed a bit. "Thank you, sir," she told him.

"Are either of your parents citizens of Amestris?"

"No, sir. My father was brought into the military due to that. My mother . . . is dead." _For all intents and purposes,_ she thought to herself.

"I see. General Mustang has explained some of your situation to me. It really is quite curious. I was wondering if you could tell me more about where you come from."

Karmyn sighed. "It's a long story," she warned him.

"We have a little time. Write a report about whatever we don't get to, and get it to me by the end of next week," he countered.

_Another report?_ Karmyn internally groaned. Ah, well. If it meant that she would be able to stay in Amestris . . .

-o-O-o-

She had been talking for about half an hour when the Fuhrer cut her off. "Alright, that's good. Get the rest to me later."

Gratefully, she stopped. She couldn't ever remember talking for so long at one time. She grew somewhat concerned as Fuhrer Grumman looked at her with an odd expression on his face, as if he were thinking hard about something. The corner of his mouth turned up in a smile, and Karmyn was confused.

"Come here, girl," Grumman commanded her.

Cautiously, she stepped forward.

"What's your middle name?" he asked her, grabbing a pen off his desk.

"Marie, sir," she told him.

"Karmyn Marie Dallas," he muttered, "This is good, this is very good."

Now Karmyn was close to panicking. _What was going on?_

Picking a piece of official-looking paper off of his desk, the Fuhrer took his pen and hastily scrawled . . . something . . . across it, finishing with a flourish. Grabbing a pair of scissors, he cut the paper down to size, so that it was just big enough to fit what he had written.

"Alright, Miss Dallas, you will want to keep this on you at all times. If it's ruined, what it grants you is ruined as well, and you'll have to come back here to get a new one. If that doesn't happen, then come back once a year from now on to get this renewed, okay?"

Curious, Karmyn took the small sheet of heavy-weight paper. Her eyes widened as she read what was written upon it.

_I hereby grant _Karmyn Marie Dallas_  
>full rights and privileges of an Amestrian citizen,<br>on account of importance to the State.  
>2.2.17<em>

_Fuhrer President William J. Grumman _

She had to read it over a couple times. '_On account of importance to the State'_? What the hell did that mean? Was this tiny sheet of paper all he was going to give her? True, he did sign it, but . . . sighing, Karmyn just accepted it. It was probably just a temporary thing until he could get the actual paperwork filed, and give her some official identification. Either way, she didn't want to question him.

"Thank you, sir," she said.

"You are most certainly welcome," he responded, "I'd appreciate if you could get that report in to me by the end of the week, but you are free to go."

Unsure of what to do, Karmyn fumbled. Was she supposed to bow? Salute? Back out of the room? She didn't remember such details!

The Fuhrer must have seen it on her face, so he gave her the easy way out, giving her a small salute. Karmyn jerked to her feet and tried her best to return it, recalling what she had seen in the anime and in real life.

Grumman smiled. "Alright. Off you go."

She quickly ended the salute and exited the room, with the curious slip of paper that remained in her left hand.

Was she, perhaps, getting in a little farther than she had originally anticipated?

Only time would tell.

-o-O-o-

_And there you have it. Chapter 44, done. Grumman never had a first name, so I made one up . . . along with a middle initial._

_Winner of summary contest announced next chapter! It's your last chance! _

_Actually, you have until the end of this week, depending on whether or not I have ANOTHER snow day tomorrow . . ._

_Well, see ya!_

_And remember why I don't enjoy writing Harry Potter fanfictions!_

_Sayonara!_


	45. 3 February, 1917

_Alright. I'm sorry I didn't update last week. Marching band and my friend's birthday party took up my entire weekend . . ._

_I just spent the past hour researching _chimerism_. You know, like from FMA. And, I discovered, it's _REAL. _There are scientists who are actually genetically modifying animals _AND HUMANS_, creating freaks of nature. If you want to read all that I found, visit _**ht tp : / projectfalchemy . webs . com**, _my FMA fansite._

_Alright. The winners of my summary contest._

_I didn't choose just one. I sorta smooshed a couple of them together- __**Nikkome Konno's **__and __**Blondie6719's.**_

_I'll post the three that I received here._

Karmyn was a simple teenager absorbed in chemistry and huge fan of FMA. What she didn't know was how quickly and drastically her life was about to change. As the line between truth and fiction disappears, she must find a way to keep up with life's twists.  
><strong>–Blondie6791<strong>

There is a fine line between Truth and fiction. But sometimes that line fades away, whether you like it or not. For Karmyn, that line disappears completely, and she must find a way to keep up.  
><strong>–Nikkome Konno<strong>

Imagine if you are just a normal girl, and suddenly your life changed and now you are in a fictional world which you know as fmao/fmab/fma and facing new and exciting adventures...read and find out!  
><strong>– mii is miao mii<strong>

-o-O-o-

**3 February, 1917**

"Is the weather in Amestris always this nice?" Karmyn asked as she and Alphonse walked down the streets of Central. In the few months that she had been in her new country, it had never _stormed_ as such. She was beginning to wonder if Amestris even knew 'bad weather.'

"Not always," Al responded to her query. "We've been extremely lucky so far. We would've usually had a blizzard by now or something . . ."

"Well, let's not jinx ourselves, alright?" she joked lightly. She was in a good mood today. She had solved her issues regarding lack of papers (although she was still puzzled about how), the weather was nice, and she was going to see her father.

Karmyn knew that she couldn't leave Central without first going to visit him. In reality, he was the only family that she had left, and she hadn't really _seen_ him for the past two years, or the past month or so. Alphonse had agreed with her request completely, so the two of them found themselves trekking through the snowy streets.

It wasn't long before they reached the house number that Robert Cross had given them the last time they were in Central. Smiling, Karmyn climbed the steps lightly and knocked the knocker that was attached to the door. A few seconds passed before they heard sounds from within, and the door opened.

They were greeted by extremely blue eyes underneath dark hair, and a smile that grew ever wider as the man's gaze landed upon them.

"Hey, sweetie," Karmyn's dad greeted her. Unlike her mother, her father had no reservation about calling her pet names. She quickly found that it was one thing that she had missed over the two years that he had been missing.

"Hi Dad," she said back to him, giving him a quick hug. She turned back to her friend, who was still standing awkwardly at the bottom of the steps. "Come on, Al," she laughed, "you don't have to be a stranger!"

Al quickly moved to climb the steps to join the father and daughter. He felt a little out of place- he and his father had never had that type of relationship, so he didn't quite know how to respond to it. Karmyn beckoned him over, and he pushed his feelings of awkwardness aside.

"Al, this is my dad. Dad, this is Alphonse," she said, introducing them. Robert Cross smiled.

"I've heard a lot about you, Alphonse Elric. Your return has created quite a stir among Headquarters."

"Uhm, thank you, sir?" he replied, somewhat unsure of just how one would reply to that.

"Don't bother with that 'sir' stuff. It's either Mr. Cross or Robert. I don't care which. Now come in! I'm sure you didn't come just to stand outside the door!"

Karmyn laughed at her father's statement. That was another thing she had missed- his humor. The two of them found their way through the door, the sergeant following behind.

_(A/N- You should know that at this point in the chapter I got distracted on MLIA for about an hour before I continued writing.)_

"The General told me that you were back in Central, but I didn't expect a visit so soon," the man joked as he closed the door.

Karmyn shrugged. "It's not like we have anything better to do," she told him, grinning all the while. She couldn't believe just how easy it was to get back into her old banter with her father, like they had done before he had disappeared when she was fifteen.

"Fair enough," her father conceded. "How has life in Amestris treated you so far?" he asked her.

She bit the inside of her lip, deciding that it would be a good idea _not_ to tell her dad about what had gone on in Ceredigion. He was lenient with most things, but she had a feeling that being beaten to a pulp and saved by a roof-going stranger would not count as 'most things.'

While she was at it, she might not mention the creeper Captain Noodle. Or her memory-triggered bouts of sporadic depression . . .

_Crud. Speak, girl, speak!_ "It's been good," she replied, mentally cringing. "I've made some new friends. I've seen a bit of the country. I'm no longer under threat of being arrested. Life's good."

Robert Cross tilted his head back slightly, looking at the ceiling. It looked as if he mouthed a couple of words before turning back to his daughter. "Oh, shoot. I forgot that you didn't have any papers, either. Don't tell me you-"

"No, dad, I didn't join the military. Don't worry," Karmyn reassured him. She watched as her father let out a breath of obvious relief.

"That's good. I guess you were a different case, considering how close to the Elrics you are," he said, gesturing to Alphonse, who was still hanging in the back.

"Yes, well, I didn't get off completely free. I have to write an essay describing almost everything about our world. Within the next week."

"Really? That's tough. Everything? It would be difficult just to tell about America. And you have to do _everything_?" The young sergeant was incredulous. Just who had asked so much of his daughter?

"Well, maybe not _everything_," Karmyn conceded. "But a lot of it. It's alright. I always was fast at writing essays while I was in school, and I'll get Al to help me. He's been to a lot of countries that I haven't."

"Alright, then. If you wish, I'll let you get to it. I have some paper that you can use, as well as some writing utensils. The one thing about this country that throws me off is that computers haven't been invented yet. Everything has to be done longhand."

Karmyn turned up a side of her mouth at her dad's statement. Of course he wouldn't even consider typewriters an option. Unlike most adults, he had been fully submerged in the technological advancements of the 2000s. She was surprised that he had been able to live without his iPhone.

"Thanks, Dad. I appreciate it. Now we'll be able to pick through your brains as well."

To her chagrin, her father reached out his hand and mussed her hair, such as he used to do. "Doubt there's much in there," he joked, "but you can have what's left."

She could've sworn that she heard chuckling from behind her, but when she whipped around to face her companion, he was wearing a completely straight face. Karmyn rolled her eyes and turned back towards her father.

Robert Cross had an eyebrow raised. "Are you two dating?" he asked his daughter skeptically.

Karmyn felt her face turn twenty different shades of red, with some pink mixed in. She didn't have to look to see that Al's face looked the same. "No, we're not," she managed to choke out to an amused soldier.

"Are you sure?" her father prodded even more, with a large grin on his face.

"_We're just friends, now go get the frickin' paper_," she told the man through gritted teeth. _(A/N- that was emphasization, not English.)_

"Alright, alright. I'm going!" he replied back to her, his arms half-risen in an 'I'm innocent' gesture. "See? I'm going . . ."

And so he went.

-o-O-o-

"Sorry about that," Karmyn muttered fifteen minutes later, as she and Al were working on her project. "It isn't the first time. He seems to enjoy embarrassing me." Her blush had not yet faded all the way- if one looked, they could still see a light dusting of pink across her cheeks.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. It just caught me unawares . . ." Alphonse trailed off, feeling that he was treading on uneven ground. His friend was obviously not comfortable with the subject, so he decided to let it drop.

"So- Japan, was it?"

Karmyn immediately perked up. "Yes. I can't believe that you actually lived there, though! I've always wanted to visit- I was gonna go when I was eighteen, before I went off to college. But . . . that plan fell through." She was silent for a few moments, collecting herself. "No matter. Anyhow. What was it like there? Is it like the manga at all?"

Alphonse laughed. "Well . . . I don't know. I've never really read a lot of manga. The few that I read, I read a long time ago. Anything specific that you want to know about?"

She thought for a minute. "Do the girls' gym uniforms actually look like that? With the t-shirt and the panty-like things?"

Her question caused Al to practically burst out laughing. "I don't know _where_ the authors got that idea. It might be true in some other Japanese schools, but not in the one we went to. It was practically the opposite . . . it nearly covered _too_ much! And they were really _ugly_ too!"

This brought a smile to the girl's face. "Yeah, I kinda thought that much was true. Especially since the guys and girls are in the same class and all . . ."

"Mmnhmn. I have a feeling that that might not have worked out all that well . . ."

The two were silent for a few minutes. "What about those really big tests?"

"Well," Al started, "we never had to take the High School Entrance Exams, but the midterms and finals were pretty substantial. It took a bit more studying than we were used to, but we still passed at the top of our class. We often helped our classmates study when they were struggling."

_That sounds like something they would do,_ Karmyn thought. However, there was one last burning question that she had to ask.

"How did your life end up being written as fiction in a manga, with almost all the details perfect?"

Alphonse bit his lip. "We were family friends with Arakawa Hiromu. I forget how we became such, but we were. After a few years, she noticed that something was off with us- that we never really seemed to get all that much older. To satisfy her curiosity- she decided to snoop."

_Well, I think I know where this is going,_ she guessed silently.

"Arakawa found our journals that we had written as soon as we found ourselves on that side of the Gate, chronicling all that had happened, so we wouldn't forget. Father had always kept a ton of pictures with him, because he was always travelling. He must've had around fifty when he crossed over- they all came over, too. She confronted us, and we were forced to tell the truth about ourselves.

"We were all set to move away, to England, when we found the pictures and journals missing. Arakawa had snuck in one night and stolen them from under our noses. We didn't have the time to go back and find them- it was too risky. It might have been okay, too, if she had not been a mangaka looking for a big break. And apparently, we had handed her one, on a silver platter.

"Before that, we hadn't taken as much care to hide our identities, because they weren't known to the world. But after that manga came out, life got infinitely times harder for us. It was a blessing that it was published as fiction, and that the world perceived it as such. That is, until-"

"Until I uncovered you again," Karmyn broke in, "and we came back here." _It makes sense_, she thought. Curious, she had another question- "What was your first alibi after that? While you were in England?"

"The manga had not been published at that point, but we were still being careful. When we got to England, we took on the names Edmund and Alan Rockwell. Ed had dyed his hair red and had green contacts, while I still had blue contacts and brown hair."

_Edmund . . . Alan . . . those names are familiar . . . _Karmyn thought hesitantly. She just couldn't remember why. She vaguely remembered two older boys, possibly of the same description, but she couldn't quite place a finger on it. Ah, well.

Al sat up, stretching his shoulders back. The two of them had been hunched over the kitchen table, which eventually took a toll on one's back. "Well, enough about me- what about you?"

-o-O-o-

"What about _me_?" Karmyn was taken off-guard by this question, and she stopped writing in the middle of one of her sentences. Seeing what she had done, she finished the sentence before turning to the inquisitive eyes of the boy next to her. "What about me?"

There was a lot that he didn't know about his female companion. He considered her one of his best friends, but he really didn't know much about who she was. There _was_ one thing that stood out to him, though . . .

"What about that incident back in Ceredigion? Where you leapt over that wall as if it was nothing?"

He watched as Karmyn's face immediately shut down, and she turned back to stare at her paper. _Shoot- have I asked a bad question?_ He asked himself.

Karmyn, meanwhile, was enduring inner turmoil. It wasn't an answer that she would've liked to give. Only one person had ever truly known the reason for that, and that was Katherine. _But Kat's a dimension away now,_ she told herself. _It's at a point where that information won't hurt you anymore_.

She took a deep breath before speaking. "Give me a minute," she told her friend. Standing up from the table they were working at, she set her pen down on top of her paper.

"Dad, we're gonna take a short walk outside, alright?" she called back into the house. When she heard a muffled 'okay' in response, she and Al quickly vacated the premises.

"What was that for?" Alphonse asked her as soon as they were out of the house. Karmyn looked up at him.

"There are some things that I'd rather my father didn't know," was her answer.

They took off down the street, walking for about five minutes in silence before Karmyn spoke once more.

"So- you wanted to know about that time?" she asked him softly.

"Uhm, not if it bothers you too much," he backed off from his original question. If it was going to cause her this much pain to tell him the truth, he'd rather not hear it.

"It's alright," she said, not moving her voice from its low pitch. "You see, it happened about two years ago, after my father left . . . no, disappeared. I can't exactly say that he 'left' as such anymore," she told him with a hollow laugh.

"You have to understand that I loved my dad. Mom was always there for me, offered me support, helped me with my chemistry, and she loved me very much. I loved her, too. But it was Dad who would always joke around with me, cheer me up if something exceptionally bad happened. He was the one who made sure my Bunsen burners weren't a fire hazard. He would take me to my friends' houses, and occasionally to the park or the ice-cream place. Mom was often too busy to do any of these extra things.

"After Dad disappeared, I lost all of that. My stress with having to keep up as Marie Dallas' daughter, as well as staying at the top of my class, and generally life in general started to build up. I had lost many of my friends as I grew older, because I was intelligent, they often perceived me as 'stuck-up' and thought that I had the opinion that I was better than the rest of them. Katherine was the only one who stayed with me.

"So- I needed a way to let loose. One day, I just broke under the pressure. I ran out of the house, practically crying. I was about fifteen and a half, I think. The grief of losing Dad and the stress of life had just become too much. I ran through the streets of Boston for I don't know how long. It was a miracle that I managed to avoid all the people who meant serious trouble. Eventually, I just found myself in some back alley. Not knowing what else to do, I just sat with my knees drawn to my chest and my face buried between my knees."

Karmyn looked at Al meaningfully, and he was shocked that she had actually gone through such a point in her life. Looking at the girl in front of him, he just couldn't imagine it. The look she was giving him, however, told a different story. There was not an ounce of 'story' in her story.

She continued. "I didn't know it at the time, but it was a popular hangout for a group of highschoolers. I wouldn't call them a gang- they did nothing _illegal_ as such. They just banded together often to hang. And I was sitting in the spot that they often gathered.

"To make a long story short, they found me there that day. They were actually very nice people, to my surprise. They managed to draw me out of my misery, and I started hanging out with them, to relieve my stress. One of their favorite pastimes was the urban sport of parkour, which they eventually convinced me to join them in.

"I picked it up quickly, and I trained and played with them for a little over a year. I was getting really good at it, too. I was voted as the second-best in our group of seven or so. Unfortunately, five of them were graduating that year, so the group fell apart. I saw no reason to keep up with it after that. Not to mention that Mom had been against it the whole time.

"I returned to being the person I had been before, concentrating on my studies. Anime, which had been part of my life before, suddenly became predominant as my stress-reliever after I quit parkour." She smiled at the end of her tale. "I thought I had lost all that I had learned. Apparently not. I'm really glad now- I have a feeling that it will be useful here."

In not-so-many-words, Alphonse was shocked. It would definitely explain her ability to leap that wall, but it wasn't something he would have expected from her. He was also extremely grateful that she had told him about it. It gave him a good feeling that she had trusted him enough to tell him about something she generally kept a secret.

"Thank you," he told her. She smiled gently back at him.

"I'll probably have to tell Ed too at some point," she mentioned offhandedly. That was another speech that she wasn't looking forward to.

Something triggered in Al's brain.

"Shoot- isn't it Brother's birthday today?"

Karmyn froze, running the date over in her head- February. Third. "Crap, yeah. He's turning eighteen, isn't he?"

The two of them looked at each other, the serious conversation forgotten.

"We should probably call him," she mentioned.

"Yeah . . ."

So they found themselves headed back to the house of Sergeant Robert Cross, where they would make a probably-should-not-have-been-forgotten phone call . . .

-o-O-o-

_Alright, those of you who were asking for a longer chapter, I now present you with one. Over 3,500 words and seven pages long, it is the first one to reach this length (that is not and Elric Intervention) since Karmyn spouted off her theories about the Gate._

_This chapter took me over twelve hours to write, granted I had to break in between for a while. But still._

_Please vote on the poll in my profile! I'd appreciate it! Along with reviews . . . those are always good. My goal is to have this story be one of the top FMA stories on FFN. I need _readers_ and _reviews_ for that!_

_Well, until next time!_

_Sayonara!_


	46. 6 February, 1917

_I have . . . next to no homework. Which means I actually have a chance to write. DURING THE WEEK! You can't believe how psyched I am about this . . ._

_I finished watching Soul Eater last night. I _loved_ it. Soul Eater: Episode 47- _**THE**_** best mecha fight of all mecha fights!**__  
>And then Asura is the Madness Alchemist . . . really! He claps his hands and has the array and everything!<em>

_I was unsatisfied with the end though. Very unsatisfied. I hope they do a second season. Until then, I know which manga I'm reading next . . ._

_As for anime, I'm moving on to Black Butler. I'll start it tonight!_

_Well, here's this week's bonus chapter. Think of it as a make-up for the chapter I missed last weekend._

-o-O-o-

**6 February, 1917**

Karmyn sat, writing in her journal that Winry had given her. It was nice to be able to just sit once and a while. Her life had been mostly hectic ever since she had landed herself in Amestris, and she appreciated the change.

Besides, she had some events that she needed to catch up on. Ever since she had received the small leather-bound book, she had been attempting to diligently record the events of each day when it was through. The past few days, however, she had just been having too much of a good time, leaving the journal completely forgotten.

But, however, now that she found herself on yet another long and tedious train, she had plenty of time.

She rested the butt end of her pen to her lips, staring out the window at the setting sun. One would think that she would remember the days that she spent in Central quite clearly, but the week had flown by at an astonishing pace.

As they were leaving the residence of Robert Cross, he had offered to let them stay with him. The two teens had been quick to take up the offer. It had been a long time since Karmyn had actually 'lived with' her father as such. It felt odd to have, in one sense of the matter, traded one parent for another. However, she managed to mostly ignore that sense of the matter, and avoided falling into another state of depression. That was one side of her that her father couldn't, and _wouldn't_, see.

They had survived the phone call to Edward, though Karmyn had never suspected that they wouldn't. There was good news on both sides- Ed told the two travellers that he was able to walk and move around on his own for short periods of time, though Winry wouldn't allow him to overexert himself. When Karmyn, in turn, informed him that she wasn't under threat of being arrested, the sound of a loud exhale of breath gave away his feeling of relief. The girl couldn't help but smile to herself. As much as Edward pretended to be indifferent, he was really just a big softie (though the first part of the term could be debated . . .).

_And he's just turned eighteen,_ Karmyn thought, breaking away from her reminiscing. _That's just . . . somewhat unbelievable. Edward Elric is now a legal adult._ She didn't know the exact laws in Amestris, but she assumed they were at least similar to those that she was used to. She knew that Amestris was supposed to be something of a parallel Germany, but she had been to Germany once, years ago. It had been nothing like _this_. Besides, even if it was a parallel, it didn't necessarily have to have the same laws, did it?

She supposed she could ask Al, but he was off somewhere else. She had just assumed that he had gone to visit the restroom, but he had been gone for an awfully long time. Still, she didn't worry. Alphonse could take care of himself.

Suddenly, the sound in her ears cut out. It was then that she felt a small sense of dread. Her iPod wasn't known to cut out on her. If it had then . . .

One glance down at the screen of the small device confirmed her suspicions. _Connect to Power_ was displayed, along with the picture of the triangular yellow sign with the exclamation point. Internally, she cursed. She had known that it would run out of power eventually. In fact, she considered it a miracle that it had lasted for as long as it had. _There's nothing I can do about it now,_ she thought as she sighed. Dejectedly, she moved to pull the earbuds out of her ears, allowing them to fall onto the table with a couple small _clicks_.

Karmyn closed her journal, placing it onto the table. She wasn't going to get much more writing done now. Anyhow, it was starting to get dark out now, and the dim train lights didn't do much for her eyes. Instead, she settled for leaning back against the hard wooden bench and closing her eyes. She knew that she wouldn't actually fall asleep- not on these benches. Still, she could rest, couldn't she?

Maybe not.

For without the music in her ears, her hearing began to pick things up that she hadn't heard before. Namely, the scuffling sound from a few train cars down. At first, she dismissed it. Perhaps there were mice on the train. But then . . . the sound started to get louder. And she realized it wasn't so much as the sounds of scuffling, but . . . the sounds of a _scuffle_. As in a _fight_.

It began to click- Al having been absent for so long. The sounds that she was now hearing.

Where an Elric goes, trouble will soon follow. Guaranteed.

Even on a train.

Karmyn bit her lip, her hand going to her hip to check for her staff which, of course, wasn't there. She took a deep breath as she rummaged around in her travel case, fishing her only weapon out.

Because when an Elric gets in trouble, others are soon involved. Guaranteed.

-o-O-o-

Karmyn surveyed the rest of the cabin. The other passengers had obviously heard the sounds from the next few cars as well, and were talking anxiously among themselves. She noted, however, that none of them were truly panicking. _It probably happens on a regular enough basis that they don't even flinch anymore_, she thought sarcastically.

Leaning back, she sank back into her booth. It would probably better that she didn't draw attention to herself. Let whoever it was believe that she was yet another passenger. Then she would have the upper advantage as she caught them unawares.

Still, she couldn't allow Al to waste time worrying about whether she was alright . . . she needed a way to let _him_ know, without letting _them_ know that she was working with him.

And then it came to her.

There were only four people in the entirety of Amestris that spoke English. And two of them were on this train.

Karmyn reopened her notebook, writing '_It's alright, I'm fine, and I'll help you. Keep going,_' in English on the next blank page, leaving it open in front of her. It was quite obvious to one who was looking, but thankfully, no one was. The only one who _would_ look would be Al.

She finished writing the note just as the cabin door burst open, bringing two figures and a gust of wind with it. Dropping her pen, she sank back into her seat, watching the events unfolding in front of her. The rest of the passengers froze, their eyes tracking the two men in the door. She copied their general attitude, not wanting to stand out to the enemy.

As she watched the two battle it out, she realized that she had never _truly_ seen Alphonse fight. Even in the anime, he had only ever really fought in his armor. However, as he was, fighting in the flesh, Karmyn could see how he might be the only person that Ed could never beat (except for the time with the sneaky trick with the bedsheet).

Bottom line- it was beautiful. She never thought that she would consider fighting 'beautiful,' but that was the only word that she could use to describe it. The boy moved with utter grace, never missing a step. Karmyn supposed the result was what one got after nearly a century of combat training. How she wished that she could be even a quarter as skilled as her two friends were!

She was so caught up in the fight that she had completely forgotten her intention to help until Al backflipped onto the table in front of her. _That_ caught her attention.

"_Karmyn, can you handle this guy?_" He asked her breathily. She had to admit, she was somewhat off-guard.

"_I can try,_" she responded. "_Where are you going? Who is this guy?_"

Al never looked at her, instead keeping his gaze locked onto his opponent. "_The engine. This guy is a terrorist. Drachman, by the looks of it. He's got that square jawline. He's planning to blow up the train._"

Wait- what? Her confusion must have shown upon her face, as Al then went on to say, "_I'll explain everything once we get to Dublith! For now, just trust me on this one._"

As if he needed to ask.

"_Alright. Go! I'll take care of things here,_" she told him.

He gave her a curt nod before running back in the direction he had just come from. The man began to follow him, but Karmyn got up from her booth and yelled, "Hey, you! Your opponent is _me_ now!"

The man whirled around to look at her. "It's the girl," he muttered to himself, not that Karmyn understood Drachman. She looked at him funny, but couldn't decipher what he had said.

Karmyn moved to stand in the center of the aisle. She regretted not tying her hair back beforehand. Ah, well. There was nothing she could do about it now. She quickly popped open her staff, trying not to betray the trembling in her limbs. As much of an act that she had put on in front of Alphonse, that was all it was- an act. There was no way she could defeat this guy. She had only started training with her staff a couple weeks before, and she still wasn't much good . . .

But it would have to do.

The man rushed at her with a knife- she only just avoided being slashed across the face. For every blow that he struck, she came up with a clumsy block and counterattack. She wasn't winning the fight by any means, but at least she was able to prevent herself from becoming worm food.

She had the support of the other passengers as well. It wasn't long before they began rooting her on, even though they didn't know what her name actually was. They called her 'girl' and 'blondie,' and sometimes just 'you.' It was only a dull roar in the background, however. She had to keep her focus on the battle; otherwise she _would_ be worm food.

_Who knew that I'd ever get into this situation twice?_ She thought to herself ironically. First Ceredigion, and now . . . this.

Her knees were starting to get weak, and her arms were beginning to feel like limp spaghetti. Have you ever had that feeling, maybe early in the morning, where you can't clench your fists for nothing? That's what her hands were doing now.

Her staff fell from her grasp, clattering to the ground. She knew that she couldn't bend over to grab it- it would leave her too open. She couldn't bend her knees to grab it either- once she was down, she wouldn't be able to get back up again, and it would still be all over.

She anxiously cast her line out, hoping to snag any useful information that she might have stored in her brain that would help her win this fight. After fighting with the man for so long, she had learned that he wasn't all that intelligent . . .

Panicking, she searched even harder, thinking back to some FMA episodes that she had seen. That's right . . . they always seemed to rush at Ed when he . . .

Maybe she _could_ pull this off.

Karmyn smirked up at the man, raising her hands. The _clap_ that they made seemed to resound around the cabin, though it couldn't have really been all that loud. She kept her gaze locked with the man's face as she sank to the floor. She landed on her knees, bent slightly over the floor. Her hands were still positioned, as if she was praying.

The man roared, running towards her at top speed. She merely grinned as she pried her hands apart and held them over the floor . . .

-o-O-o-

_Bweheheh. To be continued . . . this weekend._


	47. 6 & 7 February, 1917

_You wouldn't read an author's note even if I posted it here, not after that cliffie of the last chapter . . . So all author's note-y stuff can be found below._

-o-O-o-

**LAST TIME:**

_Karmyn smirked up at the man, raising her hands. The clap that they made seemed to resound around the cabin, though it couldn't have really been all that loud. She kept her gaze locked with the man's face as she sank to the floor. She landed on her knees, bent slightly over the floor. Her hands were still positioned, as if she was praying._

_The man roared, running towards her at top speed. She merely grinned as she pried her hands apart and held them over the floor . . ._

-o-O-o-

**6-7 February, 1917**

The rest of the passengers fell silent as the man encroached upon her, his knife bared. His face was twisted into a mask of hatred, and Karmyn bit her lip, praying that she had timed this right.

_Just a little bit closer,_ she told the man mentally.

Her hands were shaking as they hovered above the floor of the train. She knew that she had to pull this off- she wouldn't be able to stand up to fight otherwise. If this failed . . .

She wasn't going there.

She silently counted down as her attacked drew closer. _Three . . . two . . . one . . ._

Karmyn's hands darted down to the floor to close around her fallen staff. She quickly whipped it up, planting it vertically in front of her. The man had no time to change his course of direction, so he ended up running straight into the metal pole.

Was it wrong that the girl experienced a feeling of sick satisfaction as she felt his forehead smash into her weapon?

The man stumbled back, the impact dazing him. It wasn't like it hadn't affected Karmyn, either. Her arms were weak, having taken the brunt of the man's impact. Still, she needed to have _some_ strength left, if she was actually going to win the fight.

Using her staff as a support, she pulled herself to a standing position. She surveyed the scene in front of her, resting most of her weight on her weapon. The man was still somewhat out of it, but she could tell that he was beginning to come to.

There seemed to be a collective suspense in the air. The rest of the passengers in the car watched with bated breaths, still rooting for the girl, but afraid to say anything in fear that it would lead to disastrous consequences.

Karmyn took a deep breath, attempting to collect some extra strength back. When she finally felt steady enough on her feet, she lifted her staff off the ground, gripping it tightly between her fists near the base. It took most of her effort to remain balanced as she raised the pole into a baseball position. She took a couple steps forward, just to get a little closer to the guy.

She resettled her grip, clenching her fists as tight as she could. Then, when she knew she was as ready as she could get, she swung.

The silver staff glinted under the dim cabin light as it swung around in a wide arc. She trembled at the shock waves as the end bashed into the side of the guy's head, causing her to once again drop her weapon. Fortunately, that wasn't the only thing that dropped.

The man resembled a sack of potatoes as his knees crumbled and he fell to the ground. The knife clattered out of his hand and onto the train car floor, where it lay to rest. Karmyn was breathing hard, and was once again resting most of her weight on her staff.

The rest of the passengers burst out cheering, but all she could manage was a weak smile in return. Spotting the knife on the ground she bent over to pick it up, sliding it carefully into the belt loop of her pants. When she stood, something in her head swirled, causing her to feel lightheaded and finally lose her balance. She had resigned herself to hitting the hard floor when two strong arms caught her.

"Honestly, Karmyn. How many times am I going to have to do this?"

All she could do was give a small smile as Al carried her back to their booth and laid her on the bench. It wasn't long before the exhausted girl fell asleep.

-o-O-o-

When Karmyn next awoke, it was in an actual bed in an actual house. Light was streaming in through the window, and for a second, she thought that she was 'home.' The next second, she wondered where she was. Then, she remembered the events prior to when she fell asleep.

Not that it helped her figure out where she was.

She yawned and threw the covers off of her. She discovered that she was still in her own clothes, but her boots had been removed. When she swung around to dangle her legs off the bed, she was quite pleased to find that, though she was a bit sore, it wasn't like she had been after her last fight. She could still move perfectly normally, to her relief.

Blinking a few times, she took the opportunity to examine the room around her. The floor was comprised of thin floorboards running parallel across the room. The bed had a metal frame, and the walls were quite plain. There were two windows on the wall opposite the side of the room that the bed was on, and one on the wall to the head of the bed, opposite the wall with the dark green door. A dark chestnut dressed graced the room as well. Karmyn smiled when she saw that her suitcase was resting in the corner of the room by the door. Pushing herself to her feet, she went to retrieve it.

She hefted it onto the bed, clacking it open. Just inside lay her journal and her collapsed staff. _Al must have placed those in there after I fell asleep,_ she thought to herself. Moving the items aside, she retrieved some of the clothes that she had bought while they were in Central. When she had first arrived in Amestris, there hadn't been much time to go clothes shopping. They had popped into the nearest store to buy a few things, but up until recently, her entire wardrobe had been comprised of the outfit she had been wearing when she arrived in Amestris, the few clothes they had bought, and those that Winry had given her.

It was quite a relief to actually have clothes.

She quickly changed into a green long-sleeved shirt and khaki pants, and threw her black flamel-adorned coat on top. Not quite trusting her surroundings, she slid her boots on as well. She snagged a hair elastic out of the case as well, pulling her hair back into a simple ponytail- she didn't feel like brushing it just then.

Cautiously, she opened the door that lead to the rest of the house. As she walked through the halls and down the stairs, she began to recognize the place. Then it hit her. Of course this was where they were! They had been travelling to Dublith, right? So why would they be anywhere but the Curtis' house? (She decided to ignore the time that they ended up in Ceredigion when they were going to Central.)

As she approached the front of the house, she heard muffled voices talking to one another. Timidly, she opened the last door and peeked into the room, where Alphonse and Izumi were sitting, discussing things between themselves. Karmyn immediately felt like she had intruded on something that she shouldn't have, and started to close the door. Unfortunately, she had been spotted.

"Hey! Karmyn, wait!" Al called, having heard and/or seen the door open. The girl bit her lip and looked over to one side before entering the room completely. She started to feel foolish for assuming that she shouldn't be there when the assumption was completely false.

Well, there was a saying back home- to _assume_ was to make an _ass_ out of _u_ and _me_.

"It's alright," Al told her, "You can come in. You haven't met teacher yet, have you?"

Karmyn shook her head no. She had been fast asleep when they had arrived last night- she couldn't remember anything.

"Come," he said.

She followed him over to where Izumi sat at the table still, watching the two of them. "You must be Karmyn," she remarked. "Al was just telling me the story. I have to say that I was quite surprised when a _human_ Alphonse showed up at my door with a girl in his arms."

Karmyn blushed furiously. _Did she have to word it like_ that_?_ Izumi continued.

"Still, at least it was a _pleasant_ surprise. So Ed is still in Resembool, and the two of you are travelling around Amestris? Figures. Is Edward planning on rejoining the military?" she asked.

"He never officially quit, Ma'am," the girl said, filling in for Al.

"Of course he didn't that . . ." Izumi started muttering things that she couldn't make out. Then again, she didn't know whether she actually wanted to know what the woman was saying.

"Anyhow, I'm Izumi Curtis. But from what Alphonse has told me, you already knew that," she said, holding out her hand. Karmyn took it.

"Karmyn Dallas," she said, shaking the housewife's hand. "But if Al's been talking to you, you already knew that," the teenager said back.

"We're on equal terms then," Izumi said.

"Teacher, don't-" Al tried to break in, but he was too late as the woman flipped Karmyn over her hand and onto the floor, where she landed on her butt.

"It's alright Al," the younger girl assured him, getting up off the ground. "I saw that coming."

Al considered himself lucky- he hadn't been thrown the night before due to the fact that he had been carrying Karmyn . . .

"Not bad. You're not the worst, but I definitely recommend getting stronger if you're going to stay with the Elrics," Izumi told her, brushing her hands together.

"I'm already working on that, Ma'am," Karmyn said, smiling.

"She's already defeated a guy in Ceredigion, leapt a wall, and helped prevent a terrorist attack," Alphonse stated. Karmyn reddened slightly. She didn't think it was really worthy to mention, considering that she had collapsed after both fights, and ended up relying on Al to get her 'home.'

"Interesting," was the simple reply. "Did you use alchemy?"

"No, Ma'am," she replied. "I'm incapable."

"Then what was that back there on the train?" Al asked, "You clapped your hands and everything!"

"You saw that?" Karmyn asked him. He nodded.

"I was there for that entire last portion of the fight."

She smiled wryly. "A trick."

"What?"

Izumi was somewhat forgotten as she had to explain what had gone on in the train. "It was a trick. I remembered that whenever Ed used alchemy, whoever he was fighting would rush towards him. I had dropped my staff, so I was unarmed and couldn't really fight. So I faked him out. I made as if I was gonna perform alchemy, but it was only so that I could grab my staff and get him to run at me."

"Have you ever _tried_ using alchemy?" Izumi asked her, somewhat harshly. Karmyn shook her head 'no.' "How can you know that you can't use it if you've never tried it?" the older woman asked.

"I have no Gate," she explained, "no one on that side of the Gate does. That's why alchemy can't be performed in that world."

Izumi looked at her skeptically. "You'll have to give me more detail in that later. For now, though, I imagine the two of you are quite hungry. Care for something to eat?"

"Yes, please," Karmyn said.

"Sure!" Al agreed.

"Al, you come and help me."

"Whyyy?" he groaned, following the woman into the kitchen. Karmyn could no longer see them, but she heard an 'Ouch!' and a thud, so she imagined that Alphonse had gotten his own dose of Izumi's throw, after all.

-o-O-o-

_And there we go. Now then, author's note-y stuff._

_I had a sleepover last night, so today I'm really tired . . ._

_And I found the live-action Ouran High School Host club, so I'm excited about that . . . I like it, even though some of the characters look really off . . ._

_And I'm really happy that Fairy Tail is finally being dubbed! I've gotta watch what they have up on dubbinz so far . . ._

_And I actually had a dual-date chapter . . . I've been trying to avoid these, but I kinda had to do it for this one . . ._

_And my spell-checker no longer allows me to add words to the dictionary . . . so that's annoying._

_So yea. That was author's note-y stuff._

_And we're always looking for new members to join ht tp :/ projectfalchemy . webs . com! ;D_

_Well, yea. That's it for now._

_Sayonara!_


	48. 9 February, 1917

_I am SO SORRY that I didn't update last weekend! I feel really guilty. It's just that Thanksgiving break had been really busy and I just didn't feel like writing . . . bad me._

_I also got bored today and re-vamped my FMA fansite. I added pictures and now it's all pretty! And epic! It was actually a lot of fun. __**ht tp :/ projectfachemy . webs . com**_

_I got a FictionPress account under the same name. I haven't posted anything yet, but I have an idea for a story in my head . . ._

_Well, that's about all that's new in my life. I'm really excited now because I _finally_ found a fencing (you know, the sport) facility near enough to where I live! I'm so psyched. I just hope my parents will allow me to do it. I've been wanting to for years . . ._

_Okay. Now we're done. This is chapter 48. Two more chapters and it will be chapter 50. 50 chapters in half a year. I think that's an accomplishment!_

-o-O-o-

**9 February, 1917**

After the events of the train ride, Karmyn was most relieved when the following day had been relaxed. Alphonse and Izumi caught up with each other on what had happened when he was gone while she sat to one side, writing notes in her journal.

She had since decided that the leather bound notebook wouldn't be used for trivial things. She had written instead about the details of her previous fights, people that she met, and information that might be useful in the future. She had sketched the roof-happy woman from Ceredigion as well as she could, along with the Drachman terrorist from the train. She recorded details on what strategies she used, along with what she could have done better.

The number one thing? _Don't pass out._

She had wanted to use her iPod, but sadly remembered that it had died on the train. And there was no charger cord for it, so she was basically stuck. Still, it continued to reside in her pocket, as it was one more taste of the other side that she still had.

She had given up calculating how much time had passed over there. She didn't want to know.

So that Thursday passed peacefully. But on Friday, Izumi awoke her before the sun had even risen.

"Yes?" Karmyn asked, sitting up. She quickly rubbed her eyes to try to wake herself up.

"Get up," the woman ordered her curtly.

She wanted to protest, and opened her mouth to do so, but she quickly remembered just who she was dealing with. Her mouth closed without a sound escaping. Instead, she nodded.

Ten minutes later, she stumbled into the living area, fully dressed. Izumi sat at the table, perusing over a pile of books. She looked up when Karmyn entered, motioning for the girl to sit down across from her.

"You wanted to be stronger for the Elrics, correct?" The alchemist asked the blonde. Karmyn nodded vigorously. If there was one thing she hated, it was being a burden. The older woman smiled a smug smile. "Well now's your chance."

Without a second to pause Izumi picked up the stack of books she was poring over and dropped them in front of Karmyn. In the yellow of the overhead light, the teen could make out the titles of three of the five relatively large hardcovers that had been presented before her-

'Alchemical Theory'

'Beginning Transmutation Circles'

'Introduction to Alchemy'

She didn't have to look at the other two. She already knew where this was headed. She sighed internally. Hadn't they already gone over this?

"Mrs. Curtis," she began softly, "I can't use alchemy. I'm from the other side-"

"Can't or won't?" the impatient woman interrupted her. "When have you confirmed that you can't use alchemy?"

"Way back before this all started," Karmyn answered, "I even used the Stone. Philosophium. I mean- Element 116." She stumbled over her words. Izumi had just knocked her backwards, figuratively. She had assumed that she couldn't use alchemy . . . and she had already established the whole _ass_ out of _u_ and _me_ thing.

Izumi eyed her coolly as she flushed over her mistakes. Seeing this only made matters worse. "And I still don't have a gate . . ."

"Then how the hell did you get here?" The woman interrupted her once again. It was even more of a slap in the face than her previous question. Karmyn fell silent. "Don't try to convince me otherwise. You're going to learn alchemy."

"But why?" Karmyn asked. "Ed and Al had to beg you for weeks in order to get you to agree. And then there was that month on Yock Island . . ."

"Edward and Alphonse were looking for a full-fledged master. You, on the other hand, are likely only going to be here a couple of days, maybe a week or two. The commitment levels are not the same. Besides you already know the answer that the Island gives," she said.

The younger girl nodded. "All is one and one is all. I am one, the Earth is all. The Earth became me when I was born, and when I die, I will become the Earth." She smiled. "I had that memorized before Ed and Al even came into my life."

"Good. I think you understand that, too. Now. What do you already know?"

"Most of the theory," Karmyn admitted, "plus some that hasn't been published. I know what some of the symbols mean, but I couldn't get very good information about that on the internet. I couldn't trust Wikipedia." She fell silent when she noticed Izumi's blank gaze. Fighting the urge to giggle, she remembered everyone in Amestris (save four people) would have no understanding of terms like 'internet' and 'Wikipedia.'

The alchemist fixed her with a hard stare. "Some that hasn't been published?" She asked sharply.

Karmyn nodded. "Yes. It's how I got Ed and Al back, and ended up here myself."

"And that would be . . ."

She began listing her theories from that day at the lab. She told of the one-way door theory, along with the backwards transmutation circle. She said that alchemy was impossible on her side of the Gate mainly because they had no Gates. When she came to the ones about the Philosopher's Stone, she bit her lip and hesitated, unsure of whether she wanted to tell. She finally decided that she trusted Izumi. She had no reason not to.

Of course, the woman's eyes flew open from the new knowledge. The Philosopher's Stone had wreaked almost as much havoc in her life as it had the Elrics'- of course she would be shocked.

The two of them discussed (or more like, Izumi interrogated her about) her background knowledge of alchemy. It turned out that she did indeed know most of the theory behind the science, and as the sun began to creep over the horizon, Karmyn was sent off to read her stack of books.

-o-O-o-

Only Truth knows how long she spent curled up on the couch, reading through her various tomes (because you know, he knows everything). And only he (it, she?) would know how much of that time she had spent asleep, passed out underneath 'Alchemical Theory.' All she would know is that much, much later that morning, someone came by and plucked the book off of her face, effectively waking her up.

"Aaallll," she groaned, "give it baaack!"

"Alchemical Theory? Karmyn, I thought you said-"

"I did," she said, sitting up and stretching her arms out, "but your teacher had other ideas."

Al couldn't help but allow a smirk to traverse his face before disappearing. He should've known that Teacher wouldn't let Karmyn get away with saying that she couldn't use alchemy, even if she honestly couldn't.

"She woke me up at some ungodly hour this morning and basically told me to tell her what I knew about alchemy before telling me to shut my face and bury it in one of these tomes," she ranted, her lack of sleep slightly affecting her attitude.

"So how far are you?" Alphonse asked her curiously. She shrugged nonchalantly.

"I finished that one there," she said, pointing to the brick that lay on the floor next to the couch. "I figured I'd get the longest one out of the way first. Then I started on the second longest one, which is the one that you stole from me and now hold in your hands."

"Having attitude problems this morning?" Al asked her teasingly, lightly tossing the book back to her, which she caught with a small _oomph_.

"Am I? Sorry," she apologized, "I've been reading ever since she woke me up before dawn this morning, after we had our discussion. I don't know when I fell asleep. I didn't mean to."

He looked at her intensely. "You didn't think about going back up to bed to get some more sleep? These books would have still been here when you woke up."

Karmyn lifted one side of her mouth and moved her head and shoulders in what was obviously a _meh_ gesture. "I guess not."

"You're just like Brother; you do realize that, right?" Al moved to take a seat next to her as she scooted over to make him some room.

_Me? Like Ed?_ The thought hadn't really occurred to her before, but now that she thought about it, she could see some resemblances. She hadn't yet given up in a fight, even though she was always the underdog, she was so intent on studying that she had cast sleep aside, she had her . . . depressing moments. She had lost her mother, had thought that her father had left her, and . . . she was short.

The last one made her snort with laughter. "I guess you're right," she told her friend. "I hadn't seen it before." After she stood, she laced her fingers together and stretched her arms out in front of her. "Come on, I've been laying there long enough! I'm gonna get some breakfast and wander around the town for a bit."

And she did so.

Al had already eaten, so she ate alone, but he decided that he would join her on her tour of the town. She would need someone to show her around, so that she didn't get lost, and besides, it felt good to get out.

Karmyn felt herself relax as she stepped out into the chilly winter air. It was one thing that she had noticed but never commented upon before- Amestrian winters weren't nearly as harsh and cold as winters in Boston were. The lowest it had gotten while she had been there was around twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit, and when it snowed it wasn't really any more than a moderate storm. She shivered as she remembered her sometimes-in-the-negatives Boston winters.

She drew her black flamel-adorned coat closer around her. Of all things it was still one of her most prized possessions. Gradually, she let her grip relax again, having regained control of herself. It hadn't been a fit of depression, but it had been the feeling that she was headed that way.

Eventually, she just let go, letting the small clasp do what her hands had been doing previously. She smiled as she took in the chilled sunlight that came from the cloudless sky. Al walked beside her, clearly relaxed for the first time in weeks.

She completely understood the way he felt.

At that moment, she didn't have to worry about possibly being able to do alchemy. She didn't have to worry about whether she would be getting into another fight. She didn't even have to worry about her depression. The world just seemed good.

Her attention was brought back to the present when a sign caught her eye. "Hey, Al. Isn't that-"

Al nodded. "The Devil's Nest. I think it would be best if we avoided it."

"I was about to say the same thing," she agreed.

It was about fifteen minutes later that they ran into someone running the opposite direction. Or, more like, the someone ran into them. It took the three of them a minute or two to get straightened out, but one they did, Karmyn gasped.

"It's you!" she said, pointing at the woman who had run into them.

The woman's eyes lit in recognition. "Hey sweetie. I didn't expect you to be coming around these parts," she admitted. "Feeling better?"

Karmyn nodded at her previously mysterious roof-happy rock-chucking bad-guy-incapacitating dressed-in-black saviour. "Yes, thank you. Al," she said, turning back to her friend, "This is the woman I told you about, the one who saved me in Ceredigion."

"Yes," he said, "I saw her too."

In the broad daylight, Karmyn could see that the woman looked to be around twenty, her long dark hair swept back in a simple ponytail. As it was on the night she had first seen her, the stranger was dressed in black garb.

"Well, it was a pleasure meeting you again, girlie. You as well, Alphonse. I wish you luck on the rest of your journey," she called as she began to walk away. Karmyn watched curiously as she stopped about five paces out, pausing to turn back to them.

"Watch out for the one that calls himself a military officer. I know him well. A cuckoo in the nest, that is."

With that ominous warning, the woman sprinted off down the road from which the duo had just come. Karmyn was still watching her, finding something odd in the way that the woman held her body.

_She doesn't stand or move like other women do,_ she noted.

She shrugged it off. Women didn't have to carry themselves femininely. That was a fact that she had learned over and over again during her stay in Amestris. But still, they hadn't seemed so . . . masculine.

It was a question for another day.

-o-O-o-

_And there. It was a longer chapter, over 2,300 words long. I really am sorry for not updating last weekend. I'll try not to let it happen again._

_I'm almost at _**350**_ reviews! I need _**nine**_ more reviews. Can you do it?_

_I think you can._

_Sayonara!_


	49. 14 February, 1917

_Alright. I nearly just let this update slide. It's getting late, and . . . yeah. But I let you down a couple weeks ago, so I won't do it again._

_I got to play a contrabass flute! I'm so excited!_

_And I might be able to start taking fencing lessons after Christmas, another reason why I'm so excited._

_And third: I found Danish pop online. Sukkerchok. They're awesome, but I can only find them on Grooveshark. They're not on Pandora or Playlist . com . . . But I found them, and I'm happy._

_I'm joining an anime club on Tuesday!_

_I'm starting a Soul Eater fanfic, but it won't be up for a while . . ._

_And . . . I think that's about it . . ._

_Onto the story._

-o-O-o-

**14 February, 1917**

Karmyn was starting to learn that days could be both relaxing and tiring at the same time. The past few days had been packed full of various forms of alchemy, with the girl often staying up into the wee hours of the morning reading. She hadn't yet actually tried to perform alchemy. Izumi had given her a week of bookwork to complete first, in order to prepare her.

She had also spent time working outside with Al in order to improve upon her staff skills. The two of them had decided to cut their trip around Amestris short in order to prolong their stay in Dublith. It was something that the two of them needed.

Yes, the two of them. Karmyn wasn't the only one studying. While she was awake at one o'clock in the morning, she often heard shuffling about coming from the room next to hers- Al's room. She hadn't yet built up the courage to ask him about what he was doing, but whatever it was, it wasn't sleeping. _(A/N- I just realized how _wrong_ that sentence sounds . . . but I don't mean it like that! I swear!)_ Not that she was in any position to do anything about it- she wasn't sleeping, either.

Despite her late nights, she continued to awaken before eight o'clock every morning. It was a large change from how she was in Boston- back then, she would try to get every wink of sleep that she could. It showed just how much her life had changed since then.

Of course, it could have just been because she didn't want Izumi to have to wake her up again. It hadn't gone all that well the first time. Being flipped to the ground wasn't a pleasant way to wake up.

Karmyn sighed, closing her book with a large _fwap_! There was no way she could concentrate on this now- the words were starting to blur before her eyes. She had been reading since she woke up that morning, and it was now just after lunch. She had to take a break. She was just getting too bored.

She ungracefully dropped the tome to the floor, where it landed with a _thud_. The noise was actually quite satisfactory. She fell back onto the couch, letting out a loud sigh. It was amazing how quick she was adapting to life in Amestris- it was almost as if she had lived there her entire life.

Nobody else knew this, though Alphonse probably suspected, but late at night, Karmyn would talk to herself in English, often for hours on end. She didn't want to lose the language, and it had scared her how much she had forgotten when she first went to use it again. It was one of things that was 'use it or lose it.' She also made it a point to take her alchemy notes in English, so that she wouldn't lose the written language as well.

Uhg. After the excitement of the past few weeks, doing nothing was suddenly as boring as hell. _Without the flames,_ she thought, _therefore making it even _more_ boring._

She had closed her eyes, possibly to take a nap, when she heard footsteps enter the room. Not bothering to get up, she opened one eye and looked back at who it was. The figure was upside down, but it was still easy to recognize that it was Alphonse.

"Hey," she called to him, still looking at him upside down. Her blonde hair hung off the arm of the chair, altogether creating a scene of boredom and laziness. Which accurately reflected the way she felt.

"You're still here?" he asked incredulously, but then he sighed. "I shouldn't be too surprised. Brother and I used to do the same thing." Taking a closer look at her position, he couldn't hold back a small laugh. She looked somewhat ridiculous staring back over the arm of the couch at him, her hair a mess.

Karmyn simply gave him a half-lidded glare and flipped over so that she could see him properly. "Yeah. I've been here all morning. You?"

"Well, I can't say I've been doing much better than you. Unfortunately, I was getting beat up in the process," he said.

"Been sparring with Izumi, I take it?"

"Yeah," he admitted, rubbing an arm. "You'd think that I'd finally beat her, considering I've had almost a century to practice," he grumbled. This time, it was Karmyn's turn to laugh.

"You had a century to _re-learn_ everything that you'd already known," she amended, "remember, you suddenly had a human body that you had to learn to fight with. Not to mention you were severely malnourished."

Al gave a wry smile. "I guess you're right," he said, "still, I feel I should be further along than I actually am."

She shrugged. "Ah, well. Life is life. There isn't much we can do it. C'est la vie."

"Oui, bien sûr. Et il n'y a rien que nous pouvons faire pour changer de ce fait, malgré les combien nous souhaitons que nous pouvions." _(Yes, of course. And there's nothing we can do to change that fact, despite how much we wish we could.)_

Karmyn glared at her friend, uncomprehending. "Let me guess- you lived in France as well?"

"Oui. C'est un très beau pays, trop. J'étais triste quand nous devions partir." _(Yes, it's a nice country, too. I was sad when we had to leave.)_

She rolled her eyes. "Could we _please_ switch back to English, please? Or at least Amestrian?"

"Sure."

"_Thank_ you."

A few minutes of silence passed between the two. "Uugh!" Karmyn finally groaned. "I'm so _bored_! I _really_ wish my iPod hadn't died."

"It died?" Al asked, "when?"

Karmyn stretched, yawning. "On the train on the way here. It's alright," she added, "I knew it would happen at some point. It's completely useless now, but I still can't bring myself to get rid of it."

"Useless? I wouldn't say that," he told her.

It was Karmyn's turn to look at him incredulously. "What do you mean, 'it isn't useless'? It's out of power and I don't have a cord for it. Even if I did, it wouldn't fit any plugs here."

"Karmyn, the wires are made of simple elements. You're living in a place where alchemy is entirely possible. I could transmute a new charger cord for you. It's a bit trickier than that I'm used to, but-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as Karmyn enwrapped him in a huge bear hug. "Thank you!" she cried, disentangling herself from him.

Al didn't know what to do. He had always been awkward in these situations. "I don't know if it would work," he covered himself with, "but I can try it."

"That's all I can ask you to do," Karmyn conceded.

-o-O-o-

"Oh my GOD! You are the BEST!" Her yell of joy resounded throughout the house, causing her to immediately slap her hands over her mouth. She couldn't believe it- Al had actually done it! Sure, it looked a little funky, but it was still an iPod charger fit to Amestrian outlets. It was like Christmas come early. Or late, depending on how one looked at it.

She watched in rapture as the tiny screen gained the green power bar. Her iPod had been saved- and she wouldn't have to worry about it running out of juice ever again! She couldn't contain her happiness, reaching over and hugging her friend once again.

Al was quickly discovering that Karmyn got touchy when excited. He could understand the feeling- after he gained his body back, he was forever touching things, entranced just by the _ability_ to be able to feel. Okay, not exactly the same situation, but close enough.

"I don't think I'm as bored now," Karmyn remarked, letting go of her friend once more. "Still, I feel we need _something _to do."

Al quite agreed. But what was there to do? Hmmm . . .

"If you need something to do," a voice broke between them, "than you can work on Karmyn's fighting skills, there. I'm tied up with the shop, but I'm sure that you two can spar on your own."

What? When had Izumi shown up? Whatever. It didn't really matter.

Karmyn's hand fell to the small metal cylinder that still hung at her hip. After the events of the past few weeks, she had learned not to take it off for anything- she never knew when she might find herself in a fight. She'd rather not be unprepared.

Izumi left as Al fixed her with a stare. "You wanna do it?"

_You have no idea how wrong that sounded,_ Karmyn thought wryly. She had been to high school. She had heard almost every double entendre under the sun. It took all her might not to burst out laughing, but somehow she managed it.

"Uhm, sure," she said, betraying nothing. "I guess it wouldn't hurt . . . figuratively. I guess it could hurt physically . . ."

"It's always an option."

Karmyn shrugged. "Alright. We'll do it."

The two of them left the iPod where it lay, moving outside to the side yard. It didn't take long for Al to transmute a staff from the ground in a shower of blue sparks. That's what still fascinated Karmyn- the light that transmutations produced. It was unlike anything else that she had seen anywhere else.

Unhooking her own weapon from her hip, she swiveled it open and locked it into place. The ends clacked into place with a satisfying _click_. For a moment, she had a chance to reflect on how much it felt like unclipping a Lightsaber from her belt. It sorta looked Lightsaber-esque, too. It was just the right size.

"Alright," Al started. "We won't actually start sparring at the moment, but we'll try some drills . . . I know nothing about staff fighting, or teaching other people," he said hesitantly.

"It's okay," Karmyn told him. "You know more about fighting than I do, so that has to amount to something, right?"

"Yeah. Alright. Let's see if we can do this . . ."

_(A/N- Since I don't know anything about this, either, I'm just gonna take author's liberty and insert a time skip.)_

-o-O-o-

They worked together until dusk started to fall upon the small town. Despite the fact that it was February, they hardly felt the cold as they kept moving. By the time they finished, Karmyn was a bit more comfortable with the staff than she had been before. At least she wasn't hitting herself in the head any more . . .

The two of them leaned against the fence that surrounded the property, tired out after the long hours of training. They sat on the sidewalk, where there was no snow to get their butts wet. Together, they watched as the sun started to set over the cityline.

"I might actually be able to make it work here, Al," Karmyn admitted quietly, her eyes fixed on the colors of the sky. "I had my doubts, but I think it's finally starting to come together."

"That's good," Al said. "I really am sorry that Brother and I got you into this mess in the first place."

Karmyn bit her lip. "It's as much my fault as it is yours. I kind of knew that I might end up here. I had read fanfiction. In almost every single one of them, the OC ended up here. When I dropped my wallet, I don't know what came over me. I knew that it was stupid to run forward, I knew that I wouldn't be able to make it; I knew that I could replace everything that was in there. But I still ran forwards, even though every nerve of mine was telling me not to." She sighed. "I don't know what I was thinking. I knew the rule of Equivalent Exchange. I knew that. I did, really! I knew that if I came over, I wouldn't be able to get back, but I still . . . I still . . ."

To her dismay, she couldn't stop the tears from leaking from the corners of her eyes. She rushed to hide her face in her hands, praying that Al wouldn't notice. Unfortunately, she wasn't that lucky.

Al sighed heavily. "If it helps any, I know the feeling. When I do fall asleep, I'm often plagued by nightmares of that day we tried to bring Mom back. I'm there, in my old body, about to perform the transmutation. I know that I shouldn't. I know what will happen. But I'm never able to stop myself from repeating the same mistake, over and over and over again. I used to wake up screaming from those dreams."

They were silent for a few minutes longer, watching the sunset. Somehow, it was the perfect backdrop to the mood that had settled around them.

When she recovered, Karmyn looked up with a shaky smile. "I'm starting to get over it, though. This is my life now, and there's nothing I can do about it." Suddenly remembering something, she pulled the small slip of paper out of her back pocket. Her certification scrap, signed by the Fuhrer.

"But . . . I can't help but feel that something is off. Despite you having defeated Father, I don't feel as if Amestris is safe yet. There's something else . . . and the Fuhrer knows that," she said, shaking the paper slightly in the tight grip between her thumb and forefinger.

"Yeah, now that you mention it . . ." Al mused, "There have been too many weird coincidences." His attention was then drawn by the small slip of paper that she held. "What's that?"

"My 'papers,'" she explained. "This is what the Fuhrer gave me in order to make my presence here official."

"It looks like a piece of memo paper," Al noted, carefully extracting the item from her hand.

"It is," she remarked dryly.

"Importance to the state?" he questioned, "What does that mean?"

"No idea," Karmyn remarked shortly, "but it means something, and it just doesn't sit right with me."

He shook his head. "I agree with you on that one."

Karmyn reached to retrieve her paper, but Al stopped her. "Wait a minute," he said.

Clapping his hands, he reached down to the street grate that lay in front of them. Blinded at first by the transmutation light, Karmyn couldn't make out what it was. When it cleared, she saw that it was a tiny lidded canister on a chain, large enough to house the slip of paper and another small trinket that she might chose to keep there.

Popping it open, Al slid the memo inside, closing the cap firmly once more. Once that was done, he leaned over to slide it over Karmyn's head, allowing it to rest around her neck. It had no clasp- clasps broke open way too easily, and were unreliable. The chain was simple, and long enough that it allowed Karmyn to tuck the canister under her shirt in order to avoid suspicion.

"Now you won't lose it," he explained. "You couldn't have been planning to keep it in your pocket for your entire life?"

She smiled sheepishly. "Busted," she said, looking over to the side, causing them both to laugh.

"Come on," Al said, standing up. "It's starting to get cold out here."

With that, they returned to the house a few bruises, a canister, and a few confessions richer than they had been when they left.

-o-O-o-

_Wow, that chapter was even longer than the previous one . . ._

_But I got it to you. That's the point, right?_

_**I finally have my cosplay pictures up on DeviantArt!**_

**ht tp :/ the-turtle-alchemist . deviantart . com/**

_They should be easy enough to find._

_Well, until next time!_

_Sayonara!_


	50. 16 February, 1917

_I'm SOOOOOO sorry for the long wait! It's just that last week I couldn't get into the mood to write, and then I've had this horrid head cold all this week, so I haven't really been able to write, but now I'm telling myself that I'm not going to let this day go by without writing this freaking chapter! Grr. Gameface._

_I discovered All Time Low. I have their album 'Nothing Personal.' Epicness. I now also own the first album from BoysLikeGirls. :D I also have 'Born This Way' from Lady Gaga, but that's really kinda _\meh/. _I prefer her first album . . . but whatevs. I have interesting music tastes for a girl. Punk-pop all the way, people! You can't beat the All-American Rejects, All Time Low, or BoysLikeGirls. Bieber can disappear. (They spelled his name wrong on the television screen in the mall . . .) A lot of other 'popular' singers can join him. Maybe Truth should just take them._

_You don't have to agree with me if you feel differently._

_Anyhow. Continuing on . . . _

_I can't believe this is the __**50**__**th**__** chapter already**__. I've only been writing this for almost __**6 months**__ . . . I have __**358 reviews**__ . . . kewl. Well, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah. This is where __**things get a bit kick-started**__ actionwise, and in __**one other way**__ that you've all been waiting for! ;) _

_See you on the flip side!_

_**I'll put the failed first attempt at this chapter at the end. It was interesting, but it just wasn't working for me.**_

-o-O-o-

**16 February, 1917**

Paradox. That can be the vocabulary word of the day. A paradox is a saying that incorporates two things that really shouldn't make sense together, but do.

In this case, we'll use 'the beginning of the end.' 'Beginning' and 'end' are two completely different concepts, and yet they work together in one simple saying that is used so many times, it's pretty much clichéd.

And how does this relate to the life of the girl Karmyn Marie Dallas?

_Well._

The date was Friday, 16 February, 1917.

It was a rather lazy day. There wasn't much going on, mainly due to the medium snowstorm that had blown in that morning. People had gotten the idea that it was a day to stay at home in front of their fires instead of venturing out into the white flurries outdoors. In the Curtis house, it was much the same.

Alphonse sat against the wall underneath the window, his nose buried in one of his teacher's old books. He had the sneaking suspicion that he had already read this one a few years before, but that wasn't all that surprising. He and Ed had read almost everything they could get their hands on. Since he wasn't doing serious research, every now and then he would look up, twisting around to watch the fat white flakes dance their way to the ground where they would settle in a thick white blanket.

Across the room from him lay his friend of two months. She was lying on her back on the couch, her legs stretched out to full capacity. She, like himself, had her nose stuck in an alchemy book, although perhaps a bit more literally. She had fallen asleep sometime in the past few hours that they had been there, with the book resting over her face and her hands clasped over her stomach. Al had never seen her quite so vulnerable, at least not since she had recovered from the shock of arriving in Amestris.

In the time that he had known her, he had seen her go from the average (perhaps a bit above) intelligent high-school girl with a level head on her shoulders to a shocked and somewhat insecure girl, not completely sure of where she was or what she was doing. And then, in the past couple weeks, he had watched as she had developed somewhat of a shell, hiding how she felt on the inside, even protecting herself, with a tougher cover.

Sorta like that chocolate ice-cream topping on the other side of the Gate that froze hard when it was poured on the ice-cream.

Maybe that was the wrong comparison.

He supposed that it was somewhat necessary to develop a cover of sorts. He had watched Edward go through it almost a century ago, after the failed transmutation and as he went into the military. Even after they ended up on the other side of the Gate, they had both developed their own covers, their own shells to prevent themselves from slipping under the proverbial waves.

Karmyn shifted a little in her sleep, turning slightly. Al watched her with a skeptical eye. Just how late had she stayed up the night before? He knew that throughout the past week she wasn't getting to bed any earlier than midnight (Insomnia + Bedroom next door = Knowledge, in case you're wondering). Unfortunately, he had fallen asleep early for once last night, so he wasn't sure when she had finally turned the light off and gone to sleep.

He knew it wasn't really his place to be so worried. After all, there were nights when he and Edward had stayed up past dawn trying to get research done. Still . . . he couldn't help himself. He just _was_. She had already gone through so much on this side of the Gate, and sleep deprivation didn't need to be added to the list.

She twisted once again, although more violently than the first time, coming to lie on her side. Unfortunately, this also sent the large, _hardcover_ alchemy book tumbling to the _wooden_ floor. Alphonse cringed as the book landed with a loud _wham!_ He had debated trying to stop its trajectory, but there wasn't any way that he could have.

Karmyn tensed as her eyes shot open, revealing the sapphire blue irises with the just as vibrant green bits that rested oddly in the bottoms. She blinked a few times before relaxing, letting her lids slip closed again.

Those eyes had always somewhat intrigued the boy. Besides his brother's golden ones, they were some of the most unusual ones he had ever seen. He had once likened them to a pair of twin horizons almost, with the way the green rested in the bottom of the iris. _(A/N- Wanna see the actual eye? I finally created it! ht tp :/ the-turtle-alchemist . deviantart . com/ art/ Karmyn-Dallas-Eye-Colour- 276549153)_

They could certainly hold one's attention, that was for sure.

In the past few months, the girl had easily become his best friend. He wasn't sure exactly when that had come about. It had been a gradual thing, and he wasn't quite sure when it had come about. When he first learned that she knew their secret, she had just been the blonde girl that sat in front of him in Chem class, the girl who had nearly run into him and his brother in the hall on the first day of school.

Which reminded him- the first thing he noticed about her then had been her eyes, too.

He looked back at her. He had never really examined her this closely before. They had always been on the move, always with some goal in mind. They hadn't had any down time for a while. Her just-past-shoulder-length hair was spread out on the arm of the sofa beneath her, a contrast between the yellow-blonde of the hair and the dark brown of the couch. She was wearing the black jacket they had made for her, the grey flamel resting over her black-panted leg. Her shirt was a purplish color.

Her mouth was open slightly as she breathed deeply in her sleep. That, along with her wayward hair and her slightly flushed cheeks . . .

Oh, God. Did he just think that his best friend looked _cute_?

And Karmyn, of all people?

Al bit his lip and wrenched his gaze back to his book quite flustered. This wasn't supposed to happen . . . he was the one trying to get Ed and Winry together. He didn't need issues of his own.

_Maybe I'm jumping ahead of myself_, he thought, _this could be nothing_.

Luckily, he was saved from any sort of internal banter when the telephone rang shrilly.

_This_ woke the girl up. She jerked a bit, her eyes flashing open as she sat up, stretching. "What time is it?" she asked, somewhat sleepily.

"Uhm, I really don't know," Al said truthfully (and somewhat uncomfortably). "I'd better get that," he added, referring to the phone.

Karmyn nodded in agreement. "You do that."

Setting his book down, Al pushed himself into a standing position for the first time in hours. He paused a moment to get his balance before walking into the other room to get the telephone. "Hello, Curtis residence," he said upon picking up.

"Al, it's me," a familiar voice came through the line.

"Brother! How are you?"

"Actually, I'm great. The reason I'm calling is that General Armstrong requested my presence up at Briggs ASAP. I knew you wanted to be alerted as soon as that happened, soo . . . yeah."

Edward had never been all that great with the telephone.

"But . . . isn't it a few weeks too early? You're not supposed to go anywhere until March! What did Winry have to say?"

"She wasn't happy about it, but she said that as long as I didn't do anything strenuous, I'll be okay. I have full control over my arm and leg. I just can't do any heavy fighting yet."

"Alright," Al sighed, consenting. "I'll be there as soon as I can. I'll try to convince Karmyn to stay with Teacher- I don't think it would be a good idea for her to stay up at Briggs. But you know how she is- she'll probably insist on coming with."

"Knowing her, probably," Ed agreed. "Alright. I'll see you in a few days. Bye, Al."

"Bye, Brother!"

With that, he set the phone down and slowly walked back into the living room where Karmyn still sat on the couch, her blue and green eyes wide with curiosity. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "Brother's been called to Briggs ASAP, I'm going to meet him there, but if you want to stay here with Izumi to continue learning alchemy . . ."

-o-O-o-

_Short chapter I know. It shouldn't be too long before I update again, promise. P.R.O.M.I.S.E. Okay?_

_And you get an extra bit . . . my _original_ beginning that absolutely sucked._

-o-O-o-O-o-

_The day everything began to fall apart occurred only two days later._

_To put it in cheesy terms, 'the beginning of the end started with a phone call.'_

**16 February, 1917**

Karmyn was getting somewhat impatient. Izumi had yet to allow her to actually try transmutation. She had been told that unless she could draw a perfect circle, it was pointless.

She had never been all that great with circles during geometry class.

But that was a whole 'nother story.

After her conversation with Alphonse days prior, she couldn't shake the jumpy feeling that had resided in her stomach. She didn't know why- they were perfectly safe here, weren't they? There were two strong alchemists living in the Curtis household at that moment, nobody would dare try anything, would they?

Maybe, maybe not.

The Homunculi were dead, right?

Maybe, maybe not.

The military wasn't corrupt anymore?

Maybe, maybe not.

And _she_, the girl who didn't belong, was in the thick of it?

Maybe, maybe not.

Who could really tell?

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She was sick of being cooped up inside, attempting to draw perfect circles. Only Djinn could do that. (Yes, she had read the _Children of the Lamp_ series back home.) Tossing her piece of chalk to the ground, she stood up, stretching out her back. It was amazing how sore it could get from hunching over the floor for hours on end.

-o-O-o-

_Well, that's it!_

_Sayonara!_

**Click to donate $100 to those whose homes have been ravished by rabid ninjas.  
>\**


	51. 18 February, 1917

_Exciting news, all._

_If I get 400 reviews, I'm uploading this story onto the internet: __**As a manga.**_

_You heard that right. I'm doing the first 15 chapters as a manga in my uber-awesome program I got for my birthday._

I have a sneak peek on my deviantART._  
>Page 1 can be found here: <em>**ht tp :/ the-turtle-alchemist . deviantart . com/ gallery /#/ d4l8n8w**

_But I'm not uploading the rest until I have 400 reviews. And I actually finish it. Which will probably take a lot longer . . ._

_But the prospect is there, right?_

_Anyhow, I finally got some information from one of my best friends, so I can continue to write this story accurately. So, sorry for the delay, but here's your chapter!_

-o-O-o-

**18 February, 1917**

_It's cold,_ was Karmyn's first thought as she stepped off the train in North City. She thought she had known what she was getting into, but it was still a little colder than her body expected. Mentally, she had been prepared for it.

For a moment, she wished she had taken up Al's offer to let her stay in Dublith, where it was warmer and she could learn alchemy. But only for moment. Her psyche to meet Ed once again and to do something different over-rode any qualms that she might have had.

Well, except for the two-day train ride. That she could have done without. Even after spending so much time riding the rail system, she still wasn't used to it, and (to her) was still one of the worse aspects of living in Amestris.

Before they left, Al had transmuted a fuzzy lining onto the inside of her jacket. While the black coat managed to keep her warm elsewhere, it was no match to the blistering snowy winds of North City and Briggs. Even with the extra insulation, the freezy winds still cut right through her.

She glanced over as Al looked down at the little paper that he held in his hand. Before he had gotten off the phone with Ed, he had gotten the name of the hotel that they were to meet at. Since Ed had left earlier than the two of them, he was most likely already there, impatiently to arrive.

There was something to be said for meeting a friend again for the first time in months. Even though she had long since discerned that she didn't like the long-haired blond like _that_, she was still getting somewhat nervous. She had always gotten the feeling that the older Elric was hesitant about letting her completely on board. And while she could appreciate his reasons, it still hurt a bit to know that she wasn't completely accepted.

Still, that was before the incident in Ceredigion, and the one on the train en route to Dublith. Perhaps, if he knew that she could pull her own weight in Amestris as well as in Boston . . .

_I really shouldn't be thinking this way,_ she thought. She could already feel the weight starting to settle in her heart, a surefire symptom of a bout of depression. She had to stop herself from falling into the hole somehow . . .

"Al," she said suddenly.

The boy next to her turned with a start. "Yeah?"

"Just . . . talk to me about stuff. I need to be distracted." She looked up at him with soulful eyes, hoping to properly convey what she was feeling just then, and the reason for her request.

"Oh, uhm, right. Sure," he agreed, and started to babble on about random things that had happened to them in their ninety years on the other side of the Gate, throwing in a few stories about things that had occurred in Amestris. Although it didn't lift the weight on her heart, it did prevent it from getting any heavier.

Fighting the cold, it wasn't long before they arrived at the address written on the sheet of paper. Karmyn fought to control her breathing. Her anxiety levels were getting higher, and she couldn't tell why. _Just breathe;_ she told herself, _you're getting another anxiety attack. You can handle this._

Apparently, her distress had shown on her face, as a voice interrupted her thoughts with an "Are you okay?"

She looked over at Al, who was looking at her with concern. She nodded. "Yeah," she got out. "Just . . . I need to get inside."

"Oh. Okay."

She nodded, not completely trusting her voice.

She didn't remember much as they stepped inside, Alphonse telling the receptionist that they were with Edward Elric. All she concentrated on was breathing, and attempting to rationalize her attacks.

She hadn't mentioned it to Al, but these attacks were more common that she let on. They occurred almost weekly, and usually lasted about fifteen minutes. She was surprised that he hadn't caught onto anything, but at the same time, she had been extremely careful not to worry him.

She soon felt two presences around her, and all that did was worsen her condition. As soon as she felt herself being set down on what she assumed was a bed, she thrust both hands out, hoping that they would get the point and back away. Unfortunately, not having dealt with this issue before, they just sorta stood there.

"Just . . . give me . . . some space," she said breathily. She could tell they were skeptical, but all the same, they backed off. She could still hear them talking in hushed tones, but she paid them no mind. Instead she concentrated on keeping the anxiety at bay.

Finally, twenty minutes later, it released her from its grasp. She gasped thankfully, leaning back across the bed. She breathed deeply, recovering. This one had been worse than past attacks. She squeezed her eyes shut before opening them again and looking at the two alchemists that stood across the room.

"Sorry," she apologized, "I'm okay now." This was not the way she wanted their reunion with Ed to go.

"What just happened?" Al asked, his eyes wide.

She bit her lip, sitting up. "I've been getting anxiety attacks for a while now," she explained softly. "They usually happen about once a week . . ."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to worry you, because knowing you, you would."

"And when did this start?" Edward asked from the other side of the room. It was still a shock to hear his voice after so many months.

She looked down at her hands. "I dunno," she shrugged. "When we were in Resembool sometime, I guess? I'm not entirely sure."

"Did you experience these in Boston?"

Karmyn shook her head. "No, never, except for that time before I met your father, but that was different." She paused for a moment. "I . . . I think it's due to the time difference. My body is used to the faster time of the other side of the Gate, just as yours was to this side. I think there's sort of a buildup of energy, stress, emotions, whatever, and then it all come crashing down on me at once."

Al opened his mouth to say something, but Ed cut him off.

"It makes sense. We were stupid to think that there wouldn't be any lasting effects of you crossing the Gate with us. I have a feeling that this condition can't be fixed, and that you'll have to live with it for the rest of your life here . . ."

Karmyn nodded. "I . . . understood that." She smiled weakly. "Anyhow, what's been up with you?" she asked jokingly, "We haven't seen you in a few months! Surely _something_ must've happened!"

-o-O-o-

Despite the rocky start, the reunion of the three went really well.

Edward was just about the same as Karmyn remembered him, except for the fact that where flesh-colored limbs had been, shiny automail replaced them.

It wasn't too unnerving, but it was impressive. For a few minutes, Karmyn swallowed her pride and asked if she could look at his arm. Really- an FMA fan such as her faced with _real_ automail, and she was expected just to pass it by? Not a chance.

It really was shiny, and smooth. The joints clacked cleanly together when they moved. It was a piece of technology that couldn't be duplicated on the other side of the Gate, even with their hundred-year-or-more advantage.

The three chatted amiably for a few hours there in the room. Al and Karmyn relayed their various encounters from Ceredigion to Central to Dublith. Curious, Ed asked Karmyn to show him her 'citizenship pass' as they were calling it. Al handed back Ed's pocketwatch, and Karmyn thanked him, saying that his note had come in handy.

Even Ed was impressed with the girl's use of the staff. Even without alchemy she had managed to take down two threats (albeit with help from Al).

Eventually, it got late and the three of them decided to crash. It was gonna be a long, cold, wintery haul to Briggs the next day, and they needed to be prepared for it. Karmyn was the last to go to bed, after rounding up enough blankets to keep herself warm. She looked over to the bed where the Elrics lay together, sharing body heat. She admired the fact that they were so close, like one another's best friend. For a minute she wished that she had someone like that as well, someone she could stay close to on cold nights, but the thought faded as she finally fell asleep under her mound of blankets.

-o-O-o-

_It's a short chapter, I know. But I had to get something up there._

_When I started writing this chapter, I had absolutely no idea regarding the anxiety attack. I just got there and it sorta appeared. But whatever. It helps the story, right?_

_So yeah. That was chapter 51._

_And the manga is in the making, but it takes _FOREVA_ to get a page done, so it probably won't be done any time soon . . ._

_But I still want 400 reviews! XD_

_Sayonara!_


	52. 19 February, 1917

_Who went to Boston to see _The Sacred Star of Milos_ on Friday? __**This girl!**__ (and her friends, _abitofslytherin _and_ forevergreybacksenemy_)_

_It was amazing. The atmosphere was something that I've never really experienced before. There was cheering whenever characters entered. At one point in time, everyone's yelling 'No! No, don't do it!' except for the one woman in the back, who yelled 'Go for it!' over everyone else. Everyone was kibitzing, and nobody seemed to care, except for the one guy in the back who yelled 'SHUT UP!' before realizing it was futile. There were people in cosplay, (even a duct tape Alphonse!) and nearly the entire auditorium was full!_

_Add that to a crazy, _crazy, CRAZY _plot, and *spoiler alert* a Mary-Sue, it created an experience that was just awesome._

_And I also had a spontaneous cosplay of Edward after school that day . . . __**ht tp:/ the-turtle-alchemist . deviantart . com /#/ d4n52a9**_

_So all in all, Friday was awesome. My friend and I also spent band class determining which Hetalia country our band director was acting like at different times. Germany, Italy, and America were the ones that came up that day._

_But onto the story, which I'm sure you've been waiting for._

-o-O-o-

**19 February, 1917**

That next morning, they began the sub-freezing (possibly sub-zero) trek to the Northern Mountain Fortress of Briggs. It wasn't a trip that any of them particularly wanted to make- especially since they had been cold enough just waking up that morning.

The Elrics had had it a bit better off than Karmyn had. Even with the number of blankets she had piled upon herself, she had woken up extremely early due to large shivers running through her body. After trying and failing to bury herself deeper into the covers to warm herself up, she gave up. With shivers still wracking violently throughout her body, she swung her legs out of bed. Hugging herself in order to stay marginally warmer, she winced as her socked feet hit the extremely cold floor.

_Did someone forget to turn the heat up this morning?_ She asked herself wryly. Finding her jacket, she slid it on, reaching into the pocket for her iPod. She moved to check the time, but then stopped. She remembered that the device hadn't adjusted to time on this side of the Gate, so the clocks ran extremely fast. The numbers flashed by within seconds, betraying just how fast time was travelling on the other side.

Karmyn sighed, shivered, and looked over to where the boys were sleeping. She couldn't help but smile. The two of them were sprawled out on top of one another, completely unaware of their surroundings. Looking down at her iPod, the smile quickly changed to a smirk. Her iPod was the second latest generation, not the mini one, but the one with the camera built into it. Over the past couple months, she had been trying to build an electronic photo album of people and places. Opening the camera, she quickly snapped a picture of the two teens, saving it to the device's memory.

Already in her album she had some pictures of Al and Winry, and even a couple of Ed. She had gotten a few of some scenery from inside a train, and a couple of her father. All in all, she didn't have all that many. However, the pictures that she still had stored from her 'past life' made up for that. She had pictures of Katherine, in all of her dark-haired glory. One was even taken from an anime con that Karmyn had dragged her to, where Karmyn was dressed as Maka Albarn from _Soul Eater_, and Katherine had dressed up as a witch from Ravenclaw.

She also had pictures of her mother and of random things from around her room. Somewhere among the compiled list, there was a picture of Willard and Alfred Cirle, from when they were working on their chem project together. Finally, way, _way_ back in the history, were a couple pictures from when she had been doing parkour. She never looked at those ones anymore- they tended to hurt too much.

At last, the older teen couldn't stand the temperature any more. Making her way over to the woodstove that was a common fixture in each room of the inn, she began to fill it with the provided wood. After setting it alight, it was a few minutes before she could begin to feel the warmth emanating from it. She let it wash over her, sighing with relief.

After deciding that there was no point of just sitting around, she began to get dressed. Aware of the temperatures that they would be dealing with that day, she often double-layered (ex: wearing two shirts). Seeing that the two boys were still asleep, she began to pick up her stuff, packing her travel case. As much as she wanted to keep it with her, her metal staff was included in the things she packed in the case. She knew that metal things were dangerous in the cold.

The boys were _still_ sleeping. Karmyn was beginning to wonder about Al's 'insomnia.' Surely a person with insomnia didn't sleep this well . . . ? She let it go. The girl would let them sleep for a little while longer before awakening them to the harsh cold of reality.

To pass the time, she removed her lovely leather-bound journal from her case and opened it, beginning to write. Something had been bugging her for the past few days, and she felt that she needed to record it onto paper. Still, her suspicions become known to anyone else. If she was right, or even if she was wrong, it would be a bad thing.

She thought long and hard about how she could code her writing. She knew that Ed wrote his in a travelogue, and Mustang did his in women's names, but she wasn't exactly sure how that worked. She needed another way. . .

And she had one.

Realizing this, she began to write.

It was a series of events that was making her uneasy, she realized. She had begun to notice things about people that no one else did. More specifically, their presence. Edward had a much stronger presence than most people, and Al's was pretty high as well. However, there were some people that Karmyn had passed by who seemed like they were barely there. She had no explanation for this _(A/N- but the author does! Don't think this as Mary-Sue!)_, but she just noticed. The thing that was worrying her was the woman that she had run into multiple times.

The woman had a presence that she had seen in one other person only. It was as if there was a presence, and then a leech- a smaller presence that was clinging to the presence of the person. It made her feel quite uncomfortable- although much less uncomfortable than the _other_ person with that presence had.

She had a sneaking suspicion, but she wasn't about to make it public. Not even to Ed and Al.

She finished her last character, closing her book. Shortly after, she shoved it to the bottom of her travel case. She didn't want _anybody_ reading it.

For her next trick, Karmyn would wake the boys up.

-o-O-o-

It proved to be way more amusing than she thought it would be.

First off, she decided to wake Al. She had a feeling that it would take longer for Ed to wake up. After Alphonse was awake, they both set to the task of waking the eighteen-year-old.

Simply, they just pulled the blankets off him.

After a couple of angry words and some smart-aleck responses, he was up.

Twenty minutes later, they had left the inn and were back out in the frigid weather.

"I assume that Winry fitted you with cold-weather automail?" Karmyn raised her voice over the howling of the wind as they began their long trek to Briggs Fortress.

"Yep," came the response from the older boy, "I sure didn't want to have to go through that ordeal again!"

"It's colder than I remember!" the third member of the group said as a whoosh of wind went right through them.

"Alphonse," Karmyn yelled back, "you couldn't _feel_ the last time you were here! How could you know?"

"I can just tell," was the simple response.

"Well, I guess I can say that my childhood dream came true," Karmyn said with a small smile on her face, "I finally came to Antarctica. The only things I don't see are the penguins!"

That brought a laugh from both of the boys.

For the next hour or so, they tried to keep the playful bantering up in order to distract them from the chill. The worst part came when the daily blizzard started. The snow fell so thickly that they couldn't even see a foot in front of them. Worried that they might lose each other, the girl quickly grabbed one of each of the boys' wrists. Linked together in a human chain, they continued to walk in the direction of the fortress.

Karmyn was slightly off-set by the pure whiteness that stretched in front of them. "Greaat," she moaned sarcastically. "I'm letting both of you know now that if I see any sign of a little white guy and large double doors, I am _out_ of here."

Edward snorted.

Al laughed.

A whitened figure appeared in front of them.

In the distance, they began to make out large grey double doors.

Everyone immediately stopped laughing.

The coincidence was just freaky.

It took a couple minutes, but at last they could finally identify the figure that stood in front of them as Major Miles (now a colonel). "Halt!" he cried, "who goes there?" _(A/N- Sorry. I had to.)_

"Edward and Alphonse Elric, and Karmyn Dallas!" Ed yelled back, "General Armstrong should be expecting us!"

"I haven't heard anything about it," Miles conceded, "but that doesn't mean that she isn't. Follow me," he told them.

A few minutes later, they found themselves encased in the steadfast fortress of Briggs. The large metal door _clanged_ shut behind them.

"Stay here," Miles instructed, "I'll find the General."

Karmyn took this time to look around at her surroundings. It was really quite impressive, even more so than it had been in the anime. She shuffled back and forth between her feet. She didn't really feel like she belonged here- she wondered if she should have stayed back with Izumi.

She shivered- the girl still hadn't recovered from the icy cold outside. Wrapping her coat tighter around herself, she blew onto her hands to warm them up.

At last, the three companions heard the footsteps of the female General approaching. Immediately, they all (including Karmyn) straightened, hoping to appear (somewhat) orderly.

"Edward, Alphonse," the General barked, "to what do I owe this visit?" The blonde-haired woman looked at them sharply.

"You weren't expecting us?" Al asked, somewhat confused.

"Not for another few weeks."

Karmyn could feel an uneasy sensation rising in her gut. Something wasn't right here. If the General wasn't expecting them, then . . .

"Who was?" Edward had asked the exact question that the girl had been thinking.

She didn't know, and it looked like everyone else was stumped as well. Even the General had a contemplating look in her blue eyes.

"Tell me everything," the General ordered, "Miles will show you to your quarters, where you can place your belongings. Then report to my office immediately."

They did as they were told, but for a fleeting second, Karmyn felt the double presence that she had begun to grow wary about.

Only time would tell.

-o-O-o-

_We're starting to get to where the dung hits the fan. Some major stuff is about to go down, and none of it good._

_As an update on manga progress, I have not been able to draw anymore, even though I have scenes planned out in my head, and I've done some concept art on pieces of scrap paper at school. Soo . . . It will probably take much longer than after I've gotten 400 reviews, considering I already have like, 381 or something. Maybe I should boost the number to 450 or 500 . . ._

_Anyhow. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and stick with me throughout the major plot points of this story. The rest of this story has basically been exposition. Here's where we get to the rising action._

_I picked up my Skip Beat! story again, after eight months. I decided to rewrite it, as I had begun it before I started this, and honestly, it sucked. So now I have two stories to work on, so I may not be updating this one as often anymore . . ._

_But I'm not giving up on it! I love this story waaay too much to give it up!_

_Sayonara!_


	53. 19 February, 1917 Cont

_I had intended to write yesterday, but something came up with my friend that put me completely out of the writing mood. (I'm not gonna say what, as some of my other friends read this, and it's not my place to tell.)_

_But yeah. I was just a little upset. I'm still a bit down, but I can write. Reviews make me feel better! ^.^_

_Anyhow. I have to thank __**The Alchemy Goddess**__ for the BEST review evah! It contained the word 'review' about 480 times! Thanks to her, you get _**a new preview chapter of ****Truth & Fiction**_!_

_You can see it at:_**h ttp : / the-turtle-alchemist . deviantart . com /# /d4noack**

_And how I did it at:_**ht tp :/ the-turtle-alchemist . deviantart . com /#/ d4noakv**

_Right-ho. Let's get on with this, shall we?_

_I really hope that I can get the characters right. I'm horrible at determining that. You'll need to let me know._

-o-O-o-

**19 February, 1917**

The halls of Briggs Fortress were silent sans the slight _clack-clacking_ their footsteps made. Nobody was talking, and Karmyn was taking the time to examine her surroundings.

Watching the anime couldn't _really_ give a true sense of what it was like in Briggs. Even though it was a far cry from the sub-zero temperatures that raged outside, the inside of Briggs was far from what she considered 'warm.' 'Warm' for room temperature was about 70. Briggs was about 50-60. She drew her coat tighter around herself, trying to warm herself up.

The walls were some sort of metal. She couldn't tell if they were steel or iron or titanium or some sort of alloy. Not that it really mattered what sort of metal they were. The ceilings of the hallways were at least two stories high in some places. Various pipes and conduits ran across the walls, creating the illusion of an organized chaos.

Despite her awe of the piece of architecture she had found herself in, she made sure not to fall behind the Elrics and Miles. The past few months, she had been able to relax. The only person she was really around was Alphonse. However, she was now in plain view of the military. Since she was with the Elrics, anything that she did could easily reflect onto them. Not wanting them to be seen in a bad light, she made sure to keep her wits about her.

After about ten minutes of walking, Miles slowed to a stop in front of a hallway lined with doors. "Your rooms are numbers twenty-three and twenty-five, right hand side. The General wants you to meet her in the briefing room in fifteen minutes."

Edward nodded, switching his luggage to his other hand before walking down the hall. Al followed him, and Karmyn moved to do the same before pausing. "Thank you, sir," she told the man with a small smile. She was slightly surprised to see that she got one in return, but quickly recovered and hurried to catch up with the Elrics.

"What took you so long?" Al asked as she came to walk alongside him.

"I just stopped to extend common courtesy," she said, "You know, the thing that your brother always seems to forget?"

Luckily, the boy (teen? Man? What would be the proper word for a now- eighteen-year-old?) in question was too far ahead of them to hear. Still it was a wonder that he didn't realize that something was up when Alphonse couldn't stop a burst of laughter from making its way into the chilled air.

"Have I ever told you that you're something else?" The seventeen-year-old told his companion once he recovered himself.

Karmyn looked at him, her eyes taking on a mock-worried tone. "What? You mean my parents are secretly aliens and I'm not actually human? What have I been _believing_ all my life, and how do you know about this when I don't?" Her face turned suspicious, and she looked up at him with narrowed eyes. "Don't tell me that there's actually a comic and two television series that have documented my life in a dimension that I didn't even live in- that's just preposterous."

They stared each other down for a few seconds before they both fell into quiet fits of laughter. Karmyn didn't know what had come upon her, from the comment about Edward to her witty response to Al's question. Sure, she and Al had gotten used to joking around together over the month that they had been together- but had it been quite like this before? Something tried to jump from her stomach and into her throat, and she crushed it as quickly as possible.

_No. I don't need this_.

-o-O-o-

Finally, they reached their rooms. Leaving the Elrics to have room twenty-three, Karmyn looked into the adjoining room twenty-five. The room didn't have much in there. There was a metal-framed bed, a dresser, a light. The floor was concrete, covered with only a rug. Paranoid, she checked the doorknob. There was no lock.

_That makes sense,_ she thought, _if there was some sort of emergency, locks would just get in the way. It's not like anyone here would have anything too valuable . . ._

Still, the sense of paranoia that had started to sink its talons into her back in Dublith still had a firm grip upon her, and wasn't about to let her go. She bit her lip, thinking the best course of action. So much had happened to her over the past few months. The note from the Fuhrer. The mysterious woman. Captain Noodle. Most recently, the discovery that she could feel the presence of others. It had just started snowballing, and she had never felt all that secure ever since she had landed in Amestris anyway. The result was that her sense of security was shot.

Her chest was jumpy- the type of jumpy that a person gets when they're nervous. It was becoming a norm, and she didn't like it. She had tried breathing exercises; she had tried working herself to the bone while practicing with her staff. She had stayed up late, cramming her brain with alchemical equations. At least with alchemy, it was science. There was a right and a wrong. With life, there were no alchemical equations. There were no equal signs. There was no 'this plus this equals this.' And it was starting to wear upon her.

At least in America there had been some sort of routine to her day- some sort of norm. She didn't have this here. Not at all.

Taking a deep breath, she picked up her trunk and left the room, peering into the one next door. To her surprise, Edward was lying back on one of the beds reading an alchemy book while Alphonse continued unpacking his stuff. It was sort of disconcerting, seeing them so relaxed while she was wound so tight.

Ed was the first to notice that she was standing there. "Karmyn," he said in surprise, lowering his book, "is everything okay?"

Al glanced up sharply at his brother's words. Looking over, he saw a troubled expression on the girl's face. It worried him immensely. What could have happened in the five or so minutes that she had been in the other room? He had the odd urge to stand up to go comfort her, but he decided against it when he realized how awkward it would seem. Besides, where had that come from? He shook his head. He would figure it out later.

Karmyn smiled a shaky half-smile. "I don't want to stay in the other room," she said quietly. "It makes me feel uncomfortable. Can I just stay in here with you two?"

"Isn't that rather frowned upon?" Ed asked teasingly with a grin on his face.

She rolled her eyes, frustrated. "I don't give a damn about propriety at the moment," she snapped, "I don't like being in the other room, and I'm pretty sure that I don't feel that way about either of you, and neither of you feel that way about me! We're friends, and we've done this before, so it should be fine!"

_Ouch_. Why had that statement hurt more than it should have? Al continued to just stare at her.

"Not until you tell me the reason why," Edward told her, taken aback by her response to his teasing comment. "Something's bothering you enough that you're demanding to stay in here, and I want to know what." He felt bad, demanding such information from her, but if she was caught up in anything, it was most likely because of them.

"Brother!" Al exclaimed.

Her fists tightened as she was caught in the middle. She didn't want to tell them of her uneasiness. It would only worry them when it would probably amount to nothing. She hadn't told them of her ability to sense people, so that would only lead to more questions. She looked both Edward and Alphonse straight in the eyes. "It's too cold in there," she said simply, her gut twisting as she lied. She continued to stare the two teens down, as if daring them to contradict her.

At last, Ed sighed. He knew that there was something that she wasn't telling them, but it wasn't like he could demand it from her. He remembered that there had been many times when he and Al had refused to tell the truth. He didn't see how it could be something that serious, or the reason why she wouldn't tell them, but he decided to go with it. It wasn't worth the hassle. He knew that Karmyn could be extremely stubborn when she wanted to be.

"Okay, fine," he consented, and both brothers could see some of the tension flood out of her face.

"Thank you," she said breathily. "I promise that I'll explain later," she told them as she stepped inside and placed her trunk down. Clicking it open, she retrieved her staff and clipped it to her belt. A girl could never be too prepared.

-o-O-o-

_I know it's a short chapter. I intended to write more, but when I write, I develop the moods of my characters, so right now I'm feeling sort of anxious, and I feel that I can't write the next bit along with this part. Please forgive me._

_Now then- I have a question that I want you to answer in your review. Do you want me to write the conference meeting with Ms. Armstrong, or do you just want me to move on? I can go either way. I understand if you don't want a dialogue based chapter, and I understand if you do. Please, just let me know!_

_Again, please forgive me. I will try my best to update next weekend._

_Feel free to PM me with questions you may have. I won't be giving spoilers, but if you have questions about theories or reasons supporting my decisions on what I write, then feel free to ask!_

_And also, let me know if Karmyn seems too Mary-Sue. I will either try to fix it, or explain to you why I don't think it's Mary-Sue._

_Sayonara!_

_-o-O-o-_

_PS- And there you have the reason this story was called '__Alchemical Equations__' for the first few weeks. Life doesn't have an equation. Alchemy does. Voila. The inspiration for the original title, and the file name that this story is still saved under._


	54. 19 February, 1917 Cont II

_Holy crap, I have only three tabs open on my internet browser at the moment. That _never_ happens! To celebrate, I shall write a chapter. (Actually, that's just a random coincidence, but whatever works.)_

_I was really happy to be able to talk with my e-pal in Japan last night! I know she reads this sometimes, so I will flat-out embarrass her. She's really nice, and pretty, and I love her room (I wish I could get mine that neat)! Her English is awesome, and I wish I could get my hair to cooperate in the way she does with hers (curls aren't forgiving). She's a pretty good artist, and I'm looking forward to talking with her again!(^.^ yay for obnoxious Americans!)_

_I got my report card for my first semester. I have a 4.46 GPA, and I'm tied for 7__th__ out of 216 in the grade. I can be happy with that!_

_Anyhow. I got mixed results about the meeting. I will be writing at least some of that, as I realized that there's some really important information that I need to get in here before things can move on. _

_I got my 400 reviews. But the manga is nowhere _near_ finished. I've only done up to page six. Sorry . . ._

_**Does anyone here like Hetalia and The Sims? **_**Ht tp: / playinggodwithhetaliasims . tumblr . com /**

-o-O-o-

**19 February, 1917**

They spent a few minutes more of chatting and catching up with one another before an officer showed up and ordered them to follow him to the briefing room. In this period of time, Karmyn found that she had relaxed quite a bit. Her heart rate had slowed down, and she was left wondering about what had gotten her so agitated. Still, she kept her staff on her hip. There was no point in removing it.

When she said 'catching up,' it basically meant her and Alphonse grilling Edward about what he had been doing over the past months, and what had happened. They were hoping to hear something juicy about Winry, but they were left disappointed. When they mentioned her, there had been no reaction. There was no blush, nothing. The two seventeen-year-olds exchanged exasperated looks. When would the older teen get it into his head that he liked Winry, and Winry liked him?

It would take a little longer, but he would eventually. Especially if his brother and friend could help it.

They were quite disappointed when the officer showed up to bring them to the briefing room. For a few minutes, they were able to pretend that they were normal teens, just hanging around and sharing stories. True, they were in a monstrous metal fortress, but that didn't really matter. When the officer showed up, they were no longer normal teens, but Edward and Alphonse Elric, the youngest military geniuses in Amestris. Karmyn smiled wryly as she followed them out of the room.

During her stint in Amestris, she was growing to learn just how significant the existence of the two brothers was. There were no celebrities in Amestris, not like the ones in America, but the Elrics easily held that amount of reverence. There was a rare soul that hadn't heard of them. Sometimes, she felt like an outsider, like she could never truly fit into their little group of two. And it was true, it would always be Ed and Al, and nobody could get between them. However, they had done a damned fine job of extending the line of two into a triangle of three. When it was just the three of them together, it was easy to forget the difference between them. It was then that she still felt that she belonged.

She shivered as they walked their way back through the various cold metal hallways. Even though the building was heated, it still didn't feel _warm_. In order to busy her mind, she made notes of which ways they turned. _Right, left, left, right, right, right, left, right, left, left, left._ It was a pointless endeavor, but it kept her mind off of other things.

They stopped before a door, one that was no different than any of the others. The soldier pushed it open, allowing the three of them to step inside. Karmyn smiled and nodded as she stepped by. Again, manners never hurt anyone, and a certain alchemist could use some lessons in them.

The briefing room was a smallish room, with a small rounded wooden table in the middle. The blonde woman was already seated, currently awaiting their arrival. Karmyn hung back behind the Elrics, surveying the commander of Briggs Fortress. She looked petite, but she knew that looks weren't always everything. Her sword hung from her hip, apparently the woman didn't go anywhere without it. Her hair was perfect, and her eyes held their standard haughty look in them. In all, she was basically General Armstrong.

"Sit down," she commanded, smiling slightly at the Elrics. Apparently, after the events a year ago, she had grown a tolerance of the boys. She was still as stern as ever, but she was a little softer with them than she was with other people. As an accurate comparison, while she was steel with most people, with the Elrics she was more like hardwood.

Karmyn, however, did not have that privilege. She swallowed hard as the General turned her steeled gaze on her. She stood a little bit straighter, refusing to be knocked to the ground by the woman's glare.

"And who are you?" she asked icily. "I saw you earlier, too."

"Karmyn Marie Dallas," Karmyn answered, praying that her voice didn't betray just how nervous she was.

The General eyed her over suspiciously. "What are you doing here? This briefing is classified."

This time, it was Karmyn's turn to glare in defiance, all her nervousness squashed beneath indignation. "You will find, _ma'am_, that the information shared here has a great deal to do with me. I have been travelling with the Elrics for a few months now, and I'm part of the entire reason they're back here in the first place! I have information that I have already shared with General Mustang _and_ the Fuhrer. Don't try to tell me to leave, because I belong here just as much as those two do."

During her entire speech, she had been looking Olivier Mira Armstrong in the eyes. When she looked away, she saw both Edward and Alphonse staring openly at her in shock.

_I guess nobody ever really stand up to the General,_ Karmyn thought warily. Still, she wasn't going to break her resolve. If she got kicked out, so be it. She wasn't going without a fight. Seconds ticked by silently. The tension could be cut with a knife.

The silence was broken with the General's laugh, causing all three of the teens to look up in shock. Karmyn's heart was hammering at a mile-a-minute, and she was breathing deeply in order to try to calm it down.

"General?" Edward asked tentatively.

"You've got nerves, young lady. I haven't heard anyone openly defy me like that in years. The only person who came close was this brat a year ago," she said, implying Edward. "If you're going to be that adamant about it, you must have something that is worth hearing."

Karmyn could have collapsed in relief.

-o-O-o-

"Things have been tense up here with Drachma," the General told them after they had gone through the story about the Elrics and Karmyn. They had been in the room for about an hour, and Olivier had asked many questions throughout their story. Now, she was moving on to her own.

"Haven't they always been tense?" Ed asked curiously.

"True, they have," Armstrong consented, "but lately things have gotten worse. How much have you heard about the Drachman rulership?"

"It's similar to Russia, isn't it?" Karmyn interjected, "With the Tsars and all that?"

"I don't know where _Russia_ is, but Drachma is ruled by one man, Viktor Utkin. He has one younger brother, Andrei. If our relationship with Drachma was rocky before, then it has been ten times worse since he disappeared."

"Wait- you're saying that their leader's younger brother went missing?" Al asked, leaning forward.

Armstrong gave a sharp nod. "Yes. And now Viktor is blaming his brother's disappearance on Amestris. As you can imagine, it's been making things a bit more difficult for us up here. We're on the brink of a full-out war with Drachma, and it's one that we can't prevent unless Andrei returns. Unfortunately, we don't have him, so there is no way that we can return him."

Karmyn bit her lip, nodding along to what the General was saying. Then her heart thudded and skipped a beat. "Ma'am," she said, "how long ago did this happen?"

"A couple months ago. Their ruler said we had six months to return Andrei, so we have maybe two months left before the war begins."

"Unless . . ." Karmyn's eyes started to tear up. "Unless they got fed up with waiting."

"What?"

Karmyn looked up, focusing all the meaning and emotion and the importance of the situation in her gaze. Meeting the General's eyes, she said five words.

"You're needed on the wall."

The General looked at her suspiciously.

"GO!" she screamed, "NOW!"

"If this is a trick, young lady, you are in serious trouble."

"It's not a fucking trick!" she yelled, "The entire friggin' Drachman army is out there, and you're standing there, arguing with me!"

Needless to say, both Edward and Alphonse had _never_ heard her swear like that. Even when she had first arrived in Amestris, she hadn't sworn that badly. They knew that something was up.

"We should go," Edward said, standing up. "She's usually right about these things."

Alphonse gazed a Karmyn worriedly. He didn't know when things had started to get so bad for her. They had enjoyed their time in the past month, and he didn't know what had stressed her so. If he knew, he would do his best to help. Again, he didn't know when, but at some point in their travels, he had grown quite attached to the blonde girl.

"Three . . . two . . . one . . ." she began counting down, her face buried in her arms. Everyone turned to look at her, puzzled, but their attention soon snapped to the soldier that burst through the door.

The man was quite out of breath, and rather disheveled. It looked as if he had just run very far, very fast.

"Soldier, report," the General commanded.

"Sir! Drachman army spotted outside the north wall! They're heavily armed, and they're coming in fast."

"I'll be there in a minute." She turned and fixed her icy stone cold glare on Karmyn. "You're staying here, and I _am_ getting answers. Edward, Alphonse, you're coming with me." With that, she strode out of the room.

"Don't worry about it too much," Ed told Karmyn gently, "she was suspicious of us when we first arrived, too. Threw us in jail."

"I know," the girl said with a playful smile that clashed horribly with the look in her eyes. "Go on, go kick some Drachman butt."

"Will do!" He smirked, tapping her lightly on her head before leaving the room. That left her and Al together.

"Uhm . . ." Alphonse started awkwardly. He didn't really know what to say. His friend was practically just accused of being a traitor, and confined to her room. Not to mention she had predicted things creepily accurately, from knowing the Drachman army was outside to the countdown to when the soldier had burst through the doors.

"Just don't die, alright?" Karmyn asked, standing up. "I don't think I could deal with losing another friend."

Al wasn't thinking as he gathered her into a small hug. "Don't worry. I won't _die_," he said. "I've dealt with bigger issues than this before."

Karmyn rolled her eyes, stepping back slightly so that she could look him in the eyes. "You were a suit of armor then. You _couldn't_ die. Remember that you can't just put your head back on if it gets knocked off now."

He smiled. "Of course. I'll keep Brother alive too. Don't worry."

"I won't. Now go! You're needed!" she said, pushing him slightly.

Al turned towards the door and walked out, waving as he went. Once he was outside, he cursed himself, and the fact that his heart was beating about twice its regular speed. He hadn't asked for this to happen, and yet it had. And he was starting to understand what his subconciousness had been trying to tell him for the past couple of weeks.

_What the heck was all that about?_ Karmyn wondered as she sat back down. She didn't know where that entire episode had come from, and yet it had left her feeling better than she had in a while. She sat in a state of silence for a few minutes before beginning to pace the room.

Suddenly, there were loud noises in the air and the structure shook slightly. It was then that she knew the attack had begun. She could feel soldiers running out in the corridors, and she wished that she was strong enough that she could go out there and fight alongside with them.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't see the door open.

She didn't see the man that was creeping up behind her.

She only felt the sickly sweet cloth land over her nose and mouth as someone grabbed her from behind.

_Chloroform,_ she thought. She refused to breathe. She had to do something, but she was unable to fend off her attacker and her lungs were screaming for breath. Reaching up, she grabbed the chain that her tiny canister was strung onto. With all of the strength that she had left, she tugged it as hard as she could. To her relief, the chain broke and the canister went tumbling to the floor. She could hear the _clink, clink_ that it made as it made contact with the concrete.

It was then, and only then, that she allowed herself to succumb to the urge to breathe. The chloroform entered her system, causing her head to lose its connections with the world. Unable to fight any longer, she fell unconscious to the world.

-o-O-o-

_There we have it! Please review, it means a lot to me! I got twelve for the last chapter! I wanna see if I can beat that!_

_Sayonara!_


	55. 20 February, 1917

_I apologise for the extremely late chapter . . . it's been like a month. Gommennasai! I didn't know where to start with this chapter . . . and then had so many ideas for it I didn't know which one to use!_

_Anyhow. I got back from Florida and felt like writing. So I did._

_I'm afraid that the manga will be put on hold. I'm working on an original piece with my friend, called ReSet, and it's taking up all of my drawing time. You can see some concept designs on my deviantART . . . It's some of my best artwork TO DATE. So please, I'd love it if you would check it out. __**ht tp :/ the-turtle-alchemist . deviantart . com/**_

_**THIS FINALLY COMES IN HANDY!**_

KarmaHope's Guide to Languages in Truth&Fiction

_English_  
>Amestrian<br>Drachman  
><strong>Aerugan<strong>  
><em><span>Cretan<span>_  
><em><strong>Xingese<strong>_

-o-O-o-

PREVIOUSLY:

_Al turned towards the door and walked out, waving as he went. Once he was outside, he cursed himself, and the fact that his heart was beating about twice its regular speed. He hadn't asked for this to happen, and yet it had. And he was starting to understand what his subconciousness had been trying to tell him for the past couple of weeks._

_What the heck was all that about?__ Karmyn wondered as she sat back down. She didn't know where that entire episode had come from, and yet it had left her feeling better than she had in a while. She sat in a state of silence for a few minutes before beginning to pace the room._

_Suddenly, there were loud noises in the air and the structure shook slightly. It was then that she knew the attack had begun. She could feel soldiers running out in the corridors, and she wished that she was strong enough that she could go out there and fight alongside with them._

_She was so lost in thought that she didn't see the door open._

_She didn't see the man that was creeping up behind her._

_She only felt the sickly sweet cloth land over her nose and mouth as someone grabbed her from behind._

_Chloroform,__ she thought. She refused to breathe. She had to do something, but she was unable to fend off her attacker and her lungs were screaming for breath. Reaching up, she grabbed the chain that her tiny canister was strung onto. With all of the strength that she had left, she tugged it as hard as she could. To her relief, the chain broke and the canister went tumbling to the floor. She could hear the __clink, clink__ that it made as it made contact with the concrete._

_It was then, and only then, that she allowed herself to succumb to the urge to breathe. The chloroform entered her system, causing her head to lose its connections with the world. Unable to fight any longer, she fell unconscious to the world._

-o-O-o-

**20 February, 1917**

When Karmyn came to her senses, the first thing she sensed was pain. She had a massive headache, most likely due to the drug that had been used to knock her out. She winced a little, but didn't open her eyes. She feared that light would just make it worse.

_It's chloroform, not a hangover,_ she told herself. Still, she couldn't bring herself to open her eyes, fearing what situation she might find herself in. Whatever it was, it wouldn't be good.

She faced the fact that she was only delaying the inevitable. Reluctantly, she lifted her lids, allowing the light and scenery around her to flood her senses. Immediately, she regretted doing so, as white-washed walls met her vision, intensifying the pain in her head.

_Ouch,_ she thought, slamming her eyes shut before opening them once more, albeit a bit slower than she had before. She gave herself time to adjust to the light, and in that time she surveyed her surroundings as best she could.

The room was small, no bigger than her bedroom had been back ho- back in Boston. However, it wasn't nearly as cozy as her room had been. Where her walls had been a light shade of blue, these walls were a dirty white. And 'dirty white' as in 'white walls that were dirty.' Instead of wooden floorboards, there was a rough cement that was no doubt Freezing to the touch (Yes, that was Freezing with a capital 'F'). There was a frigid draft that was coming in, causing goosebumps to make themselves known across Karmyn's skin. She lay on a hard metal-framed cot that was nowhere near comfy.

She wracked her aching brains, trying to remember what had happened. She thought hard for a few moments before it rushed back to hit her full-force. _There was the Drachman attack, the briefing with Armstrong, the weird moment with Al, accused of being a spy, and . . . there was the guy with the chloroform._

Check. Moving on.

Karmyn had no clue as to how long she had been out for. It could have been an hour, to a day, to a week. She started to panic when she realized that the Elrics would come back to the room they had all left (some by more . . . unconventional/unintentional means) and find her missing, with only her canister left on the floor. She prayed to whatever god was out there – Truth, perhaps – that they would understand the message she intended to leave with her canister.

_Something went terribly wrong. I'm in desperate trouble_.

All she ever did was cause trouble for the Elric brothers, she realized. Sure, she had her moments, but in the overall picture . . .

She was still a n00b attempting to play Expert PVP.

However . . . that wasn't her problem. At the moment.

She moved to prop herself up on an elbow, to raise her head off the cot. The simple move sent her head spinning, causing her to feel as if she was about to pass out. She paused where she was, taking a deep breath in order to clear the black dots out of her vision. She had already been unconscious for long enough.

Eventually, with much trouble, she was able to maneuver herself into an upright position, leaning back against the wall her cot was up against. This set her directly across from the only door in the room. She eyed it warily, knowing better than to attempt to go out it. She didn't even know where she was . . . how could she even start to escape?

She rested her forehead in the palm of her hand, but felt another pain that she hadn't noticed before. It wasn't her head. It was . . .

The crook of her arm?

She looked down and sure enough, there was a yellowish bruise on the inside of her right arm, opposite her elbow.

_Shit._

They had drugged her. She knew the signs of narcotic use quite well, and there was no mistaking the mark left on her arm.

She bit her lip as she contemplated her predicament. Whatever the drug had been, she wasn't feeling any effects as of that moment. She felt perfectly herself, despite her throbbing headache that was only now starting to lessen.

The question was, what had they drugged her with?

She ran through the various narcotic drugs that she knew of, but it didn't help all that much. It could be anything, even something that they had solely in Amestris, that she had never heard of before. She would figure it out eventually, as it was already running through her bloodstream.

The next question that arose in her head was the objective, the motive behind her capture. She wasn't anyone particularly _special_, or powerful. If they had wanted to take someone more powerful, they could have very wel-

_Baka!_ She cursed herself, reverting to her otaku ways. That was it! Or at least, part of it . . .

Friend of the Elrics = somewhat important. Somewhat important + not-so-powerful = easy target.

It was simple math . . .

But it didn't answer the reason as to why they had kidnapped her. What was their intention, their ultimate objection?

That, she couldn't answer.

-o-O-o-

She remained that way for hours, sitting against the cold white wall, waiting for the drug to take effect, contemplating on various points in her life. More than once, she went through the entire periodic table in her head, straight from Hydrogen (H - 1) down to Lawrencium (Lr - 103). She paused for a moment when she reached Ununhexium (Uuh - 116), or as she had dubbed it, 'Philosophium.' The element that got her into this entire mess. The element that would wreak havoc among Amestris if it were to be discovered.

Her fingers traced transmutation circles across the cot and the wall. _I never did get to find out if I could use alchemy_, she thought wryly. _If I tried now, I would most likely be killed before one could say 'circle.'_

She was getting bored. And cold. And hungry. She had long since located the source of the draft: a tiny, _tiny_ opening in the wall that was most likely a window, covered with metal bars, up near the ceiling. A sucky escape route, but an excellent (unneeded) air conditioner.

Karmyn had already checked herself- her staff had been confiscated. She remembered with a relieved sigh that she had left her iPod in the room that she had insisted on sharing with the Elrics. It was the one thing she had left from Boston besides her wallet, and if she had left it in her pocket, she would have lost it.

_Tnk. Tnk. Tnk._

_Chnk._

_Click._

_Creeeeaak._

_Tnk. Tnk. Tnk._

She sat bolt upright as she heard a man approach, then enter, her room. She fixed a neutral expression on her face, attempting to show no emotions. If she was going to make it out alive, she'd have to play the game. And in the game, a good poker face always helps.

She scrutinized the large man that entered. He had dark brown hair, a strong and harsh jawline, a fur coat, and cold coal-black eyes, which he fixed upon her.

"You're finally awake. That's good. That is very good."

Karmyn just looked at him. She recognized the language as Drachman, as it was quite similar to Russian, however she couldn't understand anything that he was saying.

"That's right," the man muttered to himself, "the wench is Amestrian."

"Let us try this again. You are finally awake. This is good."

When Karmyn didn't answer him, he continued.

"My name is Nicodemus Markovic. I am Drachma's spymaster," he told her with a grin, "which means that I handle the interrogations as well."

Karmyn didn't like him. His grin was oily, as if hiding something underneath it . . .

Sadism. That was it. It was amazing how that trait seemed to run in people.

"Who was the one that kidnapped me?" She asked, refusing to show any signs of fear. She grit her teeth as Epidemic whatever stalked closer to her, shoving his sneering face in front of hers.

"_I _will be the one asking the questions from here on out. You should remember that. Maybe I should give you a reminder?" He asked her with a strange sort of glee as he removed a knife from his belt.

She closed her eyes tightly as he quickly sliced a deep mark in her face stretching from the corner of her eye to a point level to her mouth. She tried to keep it in, but she couldn't stop the shallow gasp that escaped her lips.

"That is better," he said. "You will be quiet now, yes?"

The slice on her cheek stung like a batch of cookies, and her eyes were threatening to tear over as the cold wind continued to blow into the tiny room, seemingly pounding on the wound with a thousand tiny needles. She fought to not let the tears escape. If the salt water entered the cut, it would hurt even more.

Needless to say, she didn't acknowledge the man.

"Very good. You learn quickly."

"I won't tell you anything," she said calmly, keeping her eyes closed. Faster than one could blink, Epidemic Make-it-hurt left another cut on her face, slicing through her eyebrow to intersect with the wound he had already left.

"You will," he grinned, "you will. You noticed the bruise on your arm, yes?"

Karmyn gave one miniscule nod.

"If not given the antidrug, that drug causes hallucinations and blurs the line between reality and fiction. You will not know what is fact and what is fiction."

Okay, definitely not a drug they had on the other side of the gate . . . she didn't think.

"If you give us the information we want, we give you the antidrug. If not, you suffer the effects of the drug. You have twenty-four hours before the effects start taking place."

She clenched her fists. "What do you want?" she asked levelly.

"It is not me that wants the information," the spymaster told her.

The door _creeeaaked_ open once again.

"It's me," a new voice said. A greasy voice. A familiar voice. A dreaded voice.

"_Captain Noodle_," she muttered in English.

"Did I mention that twelve of those twenty-four hours have already passed?"

. . .

Suddenly her favorite word started with an **F** and ended with a **U**-**C**-**K**.

And it _wasn't_ **F**-I-R-E-T-R-**U**-**C**-**K**.

-o-O-o-

_Hahah, kinda short . . . but I got it written. I hope to not take nearly as long with the next update. Maybe I'll even write it tomorrow . . . but no promises._

_Sayonara!_


	56. 20 February, 1917 Cont

_Oh my God. I love you all! FIFTEEN REVIEWS for the last chapter! That's the highest number yet! Congratulations. You now know how to get me to update faster._

_I don't really have much to say . . . but _Arigatou Gozaimasu_. Thank you for sticking with me through this. This story has now become a constant in my life. It's made me friends, a better writer, and given me a purpose in life. Hahah, jk. I wasn't _that_ bad. _

_You WILL be getting the Elrics' point of view, but not for a few chapters yet. Let's see how things work out with Karmyn. ;)_

Tsu ka re ta.

_That's about all I have to say._

Sou desu ne.

-o-O-o-

**20 February, 1917**

Karmyn found herself sinking into her mind, contemplating the situation that had been placed before her. She had twelve hours left of sanity. After that, who knew what would happen. After she had been given the countdown, the two men had dragged her into another room of the rundown complex.

Unsurprisingly, it was an interrogation room.

They had sat her down on one of the horridly uncomfortable chairs in the center of the room, located behind a cold concrete desk. This is where she had spent the last two hours, her fingers now numb to the cold. She was beginning to wonder if the temperature had gotten to her brain as well.

The cuts on her face were still bleeding, albeit slightly. She had long since given up trying to wipe her face clear of the blood, instead allowing it to run down the side of her face where it froze in place. She was a mess- a pitiable sight for one that would see her in her condition. However, anyone who saw her wouldn't care.

The only people in this complex were Nicodemus Markovic, Gabriel Neidel, and a few Drachman goons. The men had been quick to inform her of this fact. She had also gleaned that they were in the middle of a snowy nowhere, with no buildings around for miles. The temperature was below freezing, and the snow was at least two feet deep. Escaping was not an option.

She didn't try. She knew that if she were to get out alive, she would hang in there until the end. It was a dangerous chess game, where she was the only white piece left on the board- the 'king.' If she were smart, she could dance around the board forever, avoiding capture. If she wasn't, then it could be over in a matter of seconds.

If she took into account the Elrics, they could be considered the pawns. If they managed to make it to the enemy lines, they could easily become the most powerful assets on her side. IF, IF, IF.

She was tired, too. The cold seemed to sap her energy from her, until it was all she could do to stay awake. She needed to stay awake. Anything could happen while she slept. The winds could be released from the back, pushing her all the way back to start.

Start. Where was that, really? Her birth? The date she confronted Ed and Al? Maybe it was when she got pulled into Amestris. The dates swirled within her mind, weaving in and out through one another. Where was 'start?'

So much had happened in her seventeen years of life. She had been to England, and to a bunch of other countries. She was so far advanced in chemistry that others could just gawk. She had gone through a rough patch in her life, and yet managed to pull herself away from the addicting adrenaline it brought with it. Her friend had stayed with her throughout that time, though she didn't know why. She had fallen in love with . . .

She felt herself nodding off again, so she jerked her head up to waking herself up a bit before continuing with her thoughts.

. . . anime. _(A/N-hahah. Gotcha, didn't I?)_ She had met her favorite characters from her favorite anime and discovered that the new element her mother was working on was in reality the Philosopher's Stone. She had discovered that alchemy was _real_. She discovered that in truth, none of it was fiction.

She had traveled Amestris, (for all intents and purposes) dropped out of school, gotten in fights, and come out alive. She had helped her friends, and made the best of her situation. She had lost her mother, gained her father . . .

And ended up here. Compared to what she had already lived though, this ordeal wasn't going to beat her.

-o-O-o-

The door to the interrogation room opened and two men entered, stationing themselves against the wall behind her. Behind them came Drachma's spymaster and the traitorous Noodle. They were engaged in a conversation in Drachman, so Karmyn couldn't understand a thing that they were saying. She vowed that if she ever got out of this frozen-over hellhole, she would make a point to at least learn the basics of the other languages she would encounter.

Nicodemus smiled when he saw her. "How is my favorite captive?" he asked in false cheeriness, "Are you ready to talk yet?"

_I'll talk, _she thought, _but it won't be what you want to hear._

The man pulled up another one of the hard chairs, taking a seat on the side of the desk opposite from her. Captain Neidel stood in the far back corner, a slight grin on his face. _Sadistic bastard_, she mentally spat at him.

"Now then, girl. What is your name?"

"Karmyn Marie Dallas," she answered tonelessly. The spymaster just looked at her.

"That was not too hard, was it?" When she didn't answer, he continued. "Who is the current leader of Amestris?"

"Fuhrer Grumman." It was common knowledge, something that the Drachman most likely knew already.

"What is your connection to the Amestrian military?"

She bit her lip hesitantly, but decided that Drachma couldn't do too much damage with that information. "My father is a Sergeant Major, and my two best friends are Edward and Alphonse Elric. I've talked with General Mustang, and I met the Fuhrer once."

"What is their current military activity?"

Military activity? How was she supposed to know that? She wasn't part of the military- heck, she wasn't even a citizen of the country! She had spent maybe three days inside of Headquarters, and she had never asked her father. He wouldn't have told her anyway.

"I do not know," she replied.

The man motioned to the two goons that had taken their place in the back of the room. At his command, they pushed her down so that her cheek was pressed against the table. It was a most uncomfortable position.

"If you are hiding anything from me, you will regret doing so," Nicodemus said menacingly.

Karmyn just glared at the malevolent man before her. She righted herself with relief when the men released her on an unspoken command.

"Where are they keeping Andrei Utkin?" The look in the spymaster's eyes grew even darker, and she had to keep herself from gulping.

"They aren't," she answered strongly, border-line defiantly.

Instantly, the goons were back upon her, forcing her to the table even faster than before. She winced as her cheek hit the concrete. It was going to leave a mark.

"You lie," the large man accused. "You know something. I see it in your eyes. Stop this messing around and give me the answer. WHERE IS ANDREI?"

Fudge. She was screwed now. He was convinced that she knew the answer, but she didn't. Even though she was telling the truth, he thought that she was lying. Her 'king' had made a false move.

"I swear to God and all that is holy, I do not know."

That was the last thing she was aware of before she was knocked unconscious.

-o-O-o-

_There was a bulletproof glass wall. She was on one side, Edward and Alphonse were on the other. From where she was positioned, she could see that the brothers were worried about something. She couldn't hear what they were saying- apparently the room was soundproof as well. Behind them, she could see a large shadowy figure approaching the two Elrics. Unfortunately, they were both too deep in conversation to notice it._

"_Edward!" she screamed, "Alphonse!"_

_She banged the glass with her fists, doing her damnedest to catch their attention. They couldn't hear what she was saying, but the movement caught their eyes. Edward pointed to her, saying something to his younger brother, who began to grin._

"_No! No, you idiots! Look behind you! Behind you!" She gestured frantically, first trying to point behind them, then behind her. Neither worked. They gestured at themselves with puzzled expressions, thinking that she was pointing to them. When she tried the other way, they only tried to get a closer look at the room._

_Tears started running down her face as the monster got closer. She continued to try to get the message across, but they still didn't understand. It was too late._

_Karmyn turned away, closing her eyes. She couldn't watch the shadowy monster eat her friends._

It was all your fault_, a booming voice rang in her ears. _If you hadn't drawn their attention, they would have noticed they were in danger. It is all your fault.

_With that, the shadowy monster dissipated. Her heart stopped. It was true . . . it was all true. She had just killed her best friends . . ._

-o-O-o-

In a weird sense of deja-vu, Karmyn once again woke up on the small cot in the drafty room. Again, she didn't know how much time had passed, but the drugs had not yet taken effect on her. It hadn't been too long.

Her heart was pounding from her vision. _It wasn't real_, she told herself, _just like nightmares._

"Have a nice nap?"

Uhg. She remembered that oily voice. A train ride, what seemed like years ago. She had thought him creepy then, but it was only recently that she had learned the true extent of his smarmy ways. Traitor.

"Why me?" she demanded of him. "I have no serious connections to the military, I'm not powerful, I don't have answers, and I won't bring in a ransom. Why did you kidnap me?"

"Annoying brat. I never did know why the pipsqueak allowed you to join them. You're positively unintelligent."

Karmyn just looked at him. She took offense to the 'unintelligent' comment, but there was something else about that sentence that was bugging her.

"You can't provide any of the answers that _he_ wants. There aren't any answers."

"Then why-?"

"You can't answer his questions, but I'm positive that you know _everything_ that I'm interested in," he said with a smirk, getting closer.

"What do you mean, 'no answers'?" she asked him, beginning to piece things together in her mind.

"The thing is, Andrei Utkin is _not_ in Amestris like everyone believes. Neither is he in Creta, Aerugo, or Xing.

"He's right . . .

"Here."

-o-O-o-

_Dun Dun DUUUUUUUUUNNN! I'd call that a cliffie. You will have to wait until this weekend for the next installment! !_

_Yes, I'm that evil._

_I really did enjoy getting all the reviews from you folks. Can't wait to hear from you again!_

_Sayonara!_


	57. 20 February, 1917 Cont II

_I won't waste your time up here. But quick trivia question . . . what does 'Neid' mean in German?_

-o-O-o-

**20 February, 1917**

"Impossible. You're dead," Karmyn said flatly. She didn't think that this was possible, and even if she had, she wouldn't have thought it would turn about in this way. Suddenly it was as if she were the bearer of all of Amestris' problems. Oh, what she wouldn't give to have the Elrics by her side at that moment she figured everything out. Unfortunately, she was flying solo.

Neidel laughed. "Is the drug starting to get to your brain already?" he asked mockingly, "because I'm pretty sure I'm standing right here."

"I _saw_ you die," she stressed, hoping that it would prove her point. She knew it to be false, but she couldn't help but to attempt a resistance to the truth.

"Well isn't that odd. Clairvoyant, are you?"

"Give it up, _Envy. _Your little game isn't gonna fool me anymore," she finally snapped.

Yes, _Envy_.

The homunculus.

The palm tree.

Why hadn't she seen this before? The way Neidel acted, the double presence, the disappearance of Andrei Utkin . . . _the cuckoo in the nest._

Why? Simple- she hadn't wanted to see it.

She had been stupid to think that she wouldn't run into the homunculi in Amestris. Even if they had been 'killed,' the seven sins – envy, lust, gluttony, pride, greed, sloth, and wrath – never disappeared from the world. They were contained inside every living person, and only in a utopian society would they be absent.

Nood- no- Envy laughed again. "I take back what I said before- you may be more intelligent than you seem. What gave it up?"

It was eerie, looking up at Gabe Neidel and knowing that he was the homunculus Envy. Refusing to betray her racing heart, she answered his question as smoothly as possible.

"Well, you referred to Edward as 'the pipsqueak,' and that was what you commonly referenced him as in the-" she stopped, cutting off before she could say 'anime.' "There was also tone of voice that you used and the fact that you said that Andrei Utkin was right _here_, so you must have been referencing yourself.

The homunculus smirk-smiled, shifting into the form that Karmyn had grown to know and love and hate. Somehow, it was more 'hate' now that he was standing before her in the flesh. As of now, she would never be able to understand the Envy fangirls again. There was nothing about him that could warrant that.

It was true that his hair had a greenish tinge to it, and that it seemed to spike out behind his head. He wore his skintight top and skort thing, and it was just a tad more awkward in real life than it was on an anime screen.

Still, there was no denying that it was Envy, and that fact scared Karmyn more than anything else she had encountered so far. It meant that there had been a _homunculus_ working in the Amestrian military. It meant that a _homunculus_ had started this war between Amestris and Drachma, and it meant that said war was going to be impossible to stop peacefully- there was no proof proving guilty or innocent. It meant that if Envy was alive, there was a large chance that the _rest_ of them would still be alive as well.

It meant that Amestris was about to take another large hit, sending them into a period of regression, and it meant that Karmyn was the only one with the information that could save the country . . . and she was stuck in a complex in Drachma.

It meant that much of the Elrics' work the previous year had been undone, and they would find themselves once again fighting against superior forces. And this time . . . the superior forces knew their tricks.

"If you knew this much, then you probably _do_ know the information that I want." Envy grinned.

"I don't know what you're talking about," She said dumbly, even though she knew all too well that he would be inquiring about the Philosopher's stone.

"First off," he started, "how did the Elrics get home? I know that they were on the other side of the Gate."

"Disney magic," she replied sarcastically. It was out of loyalty and friendship to the Elrics that she refused to tell the homunculus anything useful. If she betrayed them, she wouldn't know what to do with herself.

"Disney is an extremely powerful alchemist then? How did he get them across?"

It took all she had to keep from laughing. Envy had thought she was serious. It made sense- he hadn't been on the other side. She would have thought that it was uncharacteristically unintelligent of him if she hadn't realized this fact.

"_Idiot,_" she said in English, pleased at the fact that she could insult him without being killed, "Disney isn't an alchemist. In fact, alchemy doesn't exist over there. It's just myth."

_Shit_. She had just revealed that she knew more about the Gate than she was letting on. It was impossible to backpedal without looking suspicious, so she bit her tongue and moved on.

"You just answered my next question for me," the homunculus said happily. "So you originated on that side. Interesting. How did you end up here?"

"Same way the Elrics did." This, at least, she could say.

"And how did the Elrics end up back here, when alchemy doesn't exist where you come from?"

Crap. This one was going to be difficult-slash-impossible to answer. She couldn't say that the Philosopher's stone was an element. If that ever got into the wrong hands, the country was screwed. It was a matter of electrons, neutrons, and protons, and she wasn't sure if Amestris was knowledgeable about those. If not, she was slightly safer, but if they were, then there was even less that she could reveal.

"A type of science called chemistry," she finally answered. It wasn't false, but chemistry wasn't known here.

"What is chemistry?"

"My side's version of alchemy, only hundreds of years more advanced."

"What date is it on that side of the Gate?"

What date was it? It was surely long past 2011. It hurt her to even think about it.

"Sometime past 2011," she answered, "I don't know the exact date."

Throughout the questioning, Envy had seemed to be getting impatient with her wishy-washy answers. Now, he was just getting mad.

"It would be a good idea to answer a bit more specifically," he threatened, "I can't kill you, but I can make you wish you were dead."

Karmyn sighed. "I guess I'm lucky that I care about my well-being," she began, "because otherwise I would be spilling my guts to you right now."

"You will regret that, girl."

It wasn't long before she was unconscious again. She was starting to get used to it.

-o-O-o-

When she awoke, she realized with a start that Edward was standing above her with an urgent look on his face. "Come on, Karmyn! I was only just able to get in here, and Al's waiting outside. We need to leave now!"

"Edward?" she asked him, her heart leaping. They had come! A part of her mind wondered how they could get there so quickly, but the rest of her brain dismissed it. She sat up, moving to put her feet on the ground. Unfortunately, she was stopped short when her world swam.

"Karmyn, are you alright?" No . . . this voice wasn't Ed's. When she looked up, it was her mother standing there, her light green eyes staring at her in worry. She was still dressed in the clothes that her daughter had last seen her in. Karmyn could feel the tears coming to her eyes.

"Mother?"

"Really, Karmyn? You must really be out of it. It's me, Kat! You know, your _friend_? Or do you not have any time for me now that you've met Will and Al?"

That was it. The tears that had been building up behind her eyelids started to fall heavily. "I'm sorry, Katherine!" she pleaded, "I didn't mean to leave you! I only meant to help Ed and Al get home! And then things went wrong and now I'm here . . . please forgive me!"

"Why would I forgive you?" It was a more masculine voice, but one could tell he wasn't too old. "You haven't done anything that would need forgiving!"

"Oh, Al," she cried, looking up through her tears. Perhaps she could talk with him about what was happening with her. He had always listened to her before, why should now be any different?

"I do need to know about the Philosopher's stone though. What can you tell me?"

"Nothing! I won't tell you anything!" She knew it was Envy, even though by now she could hardly see anything through her tears.

"But Karmyn, I'm your father! Aren't I supposed to know about what's going on in your life? I can't help you if you don't tell me anything."

"I'm sorry! I would tell you things, but I'm always too far away, and I've been caught up in things, and I haven't had time!"

"Not even time for me? I thought I was your friend, Tex. We all did. Why did you leave?"

"Jax . . . Criss . . . everyone . . . don't hate me! Please!"

By now, she was just lost. Somewhere, she realized that the drug had started its hold on her. It was breaking her down, reducing her to a shell of her former self. The barrage of figures from her past and present were cutting her down, whether they meant to or not. She had faults, she had been horrible to each one of them at some point in her life, and they were coming back to haunt her.

As the tears streamed down her face, she shook with each sob that wracked itself though her body. Was she hallucinating? Or was she just dreaming? It didn't matter. Nothing much mattered at the moment but the thin hair that kept her tied to her sanity.

She only hoped that that would be enough.

-o-O-o-

_Short, I know. Anyhow . . . this is pretty much the chapter that turns everything on its head. Who are Jax and Criss, and why did they call her Tex? Hmn . . . some things need to be explained!_

_Anyhow, I hoped you liked it, and I wanted to tell you that I got SIXTEEN reviews for the past chapter. I'd make a shoutout to all those who reviewed, but I know that I never read them when other people do that, and it honestly just annoys me. So I'd be a bit of a hypocrite if I did it myself._

_Look forward to an all-new chapter next weekend!_

_Sayonara!_


	58. 00 Xxxxxxxx, 0000

_Okay . . . new update!_

_I have to thank __**Nikkome Konno**__ for helping my case of writer's block for this chapter . . . you gave me ideas that hadn't even occurred to me. So- Arigato gosaimasu!_

_I also did a picture of when Karmyn dropped the canister when she was kidnapped. You can find it on my deviantART- __**ht tp : / the-turtle-alchemist . deviantart . com/art /Last-Minute-Clues- 290997896**__ .____I really like it. It's really more of a concept drawing than what I've done before. I think it's cool. One of my better drawings, I think._

_Alright! Now I'm listening to Sukkerchok, a Danish pop group, and I will deliver to you a brand-new chapter!_

-o-O-o-

**00 Xxxxxxxx, 0000**

A shrill beeping brought Karmyn back into consciousness. She didn't know when she had slipped under, but at the moment she was only concerned about the noise assaulting her ears. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes blearily, unable to focus on anything. The last thing she remembered was . . . her friends and family flashing before her eyes.

That's right. She had been kidnapped by the Drachmans- no . . . _Envy. _He had wanted her to reveal what she knew about the Elrics and the Philosopher's stone. He had created this grand scheme involving the brother of Drachma's leader. Drachma believed that Amestris had abducted Andrei Utkin, but Amestris hadn't, and had no way to prove it.

The two countries were on the brink of a full-out war.

At last, Karmyn was awake enough to focus on her surroundings, trying to locate the origin of the noise that was cutting through her head like knives. She froze, her heart thumping loudly. _No. This isn't possible!_ She panicked, her eyes darting around the room.

_Her _room.

The one she hadn't seen in months.

_Oh, God_ . . . she thought.

The familiar anime posters looked down on her, and everything was the way it had been when she had left. It was all so familiar, yet seemed alien at the same time. Was this even her home anymore? Where did she call home?

The beeping was her alarm clock of all things. _6:00 am_. It must be a school day, if her alarm is going off.

Karmyn fell back on her bed. She was so disoriented it wasn't even funny. She could remember clearly the months that she had spent in Amestris- how could she be back here? Her eyes traveled over to the poster that she had of Edward and Alphonse, as if searching for answers within their faces. There wasn't anything there. If anything, it was just weird. After knowing the human Ed and Al for months, the cartoon versions just looked odd.

And it hurt.

"_Karmyn, are you up?"_ a voice from downstairs called. It was English . . . there was no doubt that she was back in America.

She decided that it was best just to play along with it. "Yes!" she called back, also in English. It was odd, using English after having used Amestrian almost exclusively for weeks.

Reluctantly, she stood up. Looking down at herself, she saw that she was wearing her pajamas. Last she knew, she had still been wearing her Elric coat . . . did that even still exist? She quickly got dressed in the clothes that were still in her drawers, and rushed downstairs.

She nearly broke down when she saw her mother sitting in the kitchen. How long had it been? She was tempted just to burst into tears and run to her, but if she did, her mother would wonder why and ask what was wrong.

"Mom?" she asked hesitantly, "what is the date today?"

Marie's face drew a concerned look. "Karmyn, it's the thirty-first. You start school today. You're telling me you forgot this?"

The seventeen-year-old blanched. The thirty-first? But . . . but . . .

"Are you alright, dear?"

No. No, she wasn't. "Yeah," she said.

"Alright. You'd better get ready for school. You wouldn't want to miss the bus today."

Still stunned, Karmyn turned to go back to her room. Today was August thirty-first . . . 2011. Her head was having a hard time wrapping around that fact. Had it all been a dream? Was there really no Edward, no Alphonse, no Philosopher's stone?

She dreaded to think. Sure, she had gone through some pretty unpleasant stuff while she was in Amestris, but could she really go back to the mundane life of Boston, Massachusetts?

And . . . if she truly had dreamed everything . . . had her father really left?

No. It couldn't be.

Taking a deep breath, Karmyn told herself that she just had to get through this day- after that, she would take it as it came. The Elrics would expect her to do so, and she wasn't going to let them down.

She picked her bag up from where it lay on the floor of her bedroom. Luckily, she must have packed it the night before. Scanning her room, she saw her old journal lying on the table beside her bed. Struck by curiosity, she walked closer. She ran one finger along the front cover, contemplating whether it was worth opening it.

She bit her lip, picking the small book up and flipping the pages to the last entry. _August 30, 2011_.

Debating whether it was worth writing a new entry in it- as she had that morning that changed her life- she picked up the pencil that had lay beside it. Eventually, however, she dropped both book and pencil back onto the table.

She left the house without eating breakfast. She couldn't say there much longer. She needed to get out, get away, and think. The first step to trying to solve this mess would be going to school. She could only pray that there would be two brothers named Willard and Alfred.

Too bad she didn't believe in any god.

-o-O-o-

She nearly burst out crying when she saw Katherine. After spending the past few months wondering if she had lived a happy life, to see her again was a godsend to the confused teenager. As soon as she had taken her seat on the bus, Karmyn wrapped her friend in a large hug. Deep inside, she wished that she would never have to let go.

"Hey, girl. I missed you too, even though it's only been a couple days," Katherine said, trapped by her friend's hug.

"I'm sorry," Karmyn said, retracting her arms. "It's just that I've been really confused this morning due to a . . . dream . . . I had. It felt so _real_, and now I'm back here, and I've been kind of disoriented."

Katherine raised her eyebrows. "You're going to have to tell me about this dream of yours."

The young chemist smiled weakly. "I'll tell you later."

They spent the rest of the bus ride in silence, as Karmyn really didn't know what else she could say. Her memories of that summer had already faded to nearly nothing- Katherine had tried discussing things that Karmyn didn't even remember.

She felt horrible about it, but oh how she prayed that this was the dream- not Amestris.

First period English flew by without a hitch, except that she had already sat through the same exact lesson. Pretending to be listening to the teacher's endless blabbing, she sketched in her notebook. Transmutation circles, alchemical symbols and equations, everything that she had learned in Amestris. The teacher looked at her weirdly, but when she proved that she knew what they were talking about by answering all questions flawlessly, he just let her be.

It was difficult being in school after months of knowing that she would never be in school again. Her attention was elsewhere, and she was beginning to fear that life in Amestris installed ADD- like symptoms in a person. There, you were always looking over your shoulder for possible dangers. There, you concentrated on more than one thing at a time. Here . . . it wasn't like that.

As she was walking to her chemistry class, her heartbeat started to rise rapidly. Her eyes were tuned to look for two boys with brown hair, blue eyes, and British accents.

She never ran into them. When she got to the spot that she would have run into them, her heart leapt into her throat. However, it was as if they were ghosts. She knew that they should be there, but they weren't.

It was then that reality crashed down onto her. Amestris truly was fictional. She was stupid to have believed otherwise. Those months in Amestris were all but a dream. Edward and Alphonse were purely characters in a Japanese comic book. She wasn't their friend- she was only a fangirl.

She never made it to her chemistry class. Instead, she turned and exited the school building. It was something she hadn't done since she was fifteen and her father had left.

Karmyn wasn't paying attention to where she was going. She only knew that she was going elsewhere. Her feet, disconnected from her brain, took the path that they had taken two years earlier. When she finally started thinking again, she found herself at her parkour group's old meeting place- an abandoned lot in the middle of the city.

She had sworn to herself that she would never find her way back here- this part of her life was over and done with. Yet- did that even matter? She couldn't go home yet, and she wasn't going back to the school. Making up her mind, she decided that she could let herself go once more. She paced up and down the lot, stretching her body out. It had been a while, and she didn't want to break or pull something. It would be hard explaining that to her mother.

Fifteen minutes later, she felt as if she was ready. She quickly stripped off the overshirt that she was wearing, so that she was left in her tank top. She rolled her shorts up a little higher in order to free her legs. She was glad that she had decided to wear her sneakers that day. She had done parkour in bare feet before, and while it was doable, it hurt a little bit more.

Cartwheel, side-flip, backflip, land. Back handspring, roundoff, front flip, somersault. Karmyn smiled. She hadn't lost everything. Still, it was best to take it easy. She hadn't done this in two years.

That was when she took off down the alleyways, losing herself in the speed and adrenaline of the urban sport.

-o-O-o-

_I think I'm gonna stop there for today. Yes, I'm gonna leave you hanging. Hahah. Anyhow. You'll learn more about Karmyn's history with parkour in the next chapter. I just wanted something to buffer before that. _

_Alright? I really appreciate all you reads and reviews. It's what really inspires me to keep writing this story, although I started writing this story so that I could basically live in Amestris vicariously through Karmyn. I just lose myself in that world when I start writing. I love it. _

_So . . . yeah! Next chapter- next weekend! I hope to see your reviews . . . maybe I'll update sooner if I have the time._

_I love you all!_

_Sayonara!_


	59. 00 Xxxxxxxx, 0000 Cont

_I know I've been late in this update . . . I ran out of time last weekend. I hate how life gets in the way._

_Anyhow. I got the All-American Rejects' new album, _Kids in the Street_! I love it. Their sound changed, but they've also gotten older. It's been 10 years since their first album was released. Therefore, it is reasonable and I accept it. And their new songs are cool._

_Anyhow . . . where were we?_

_Ah, yes. I remember._

-o-O-o-

**31 August, 2011 (?)**

She ran. At first, her lungs screamed for her to stop. It had been so long since she had strained them so. After the first ten minutes of the breakneck speed she had set, the pain had gone from a burning complaint to nothing more than background noise.

Anything to keep her mind off of what was happening.

Karmyn regretted quitting parkour. She missed the burning in her lungs and muscles, the cool liquid feeling of practically flying over the obstacles in her path. Walls, fences, chasms . . . they meant little to her. She had learned how to place her feet correctly, to grip the tops of walls with her fingers as her legs propelled her upwards.

It was release . . . both then, and now.

-o-O-o-

_**Two years earlier- June 2009**_

_It had been a month- thirty days since her father had walked out on them._

_She missed his smile, his sapphire eyes that sparkled when he laughed. The tall dark-haired man that had been a constant in her life was now a variable that had gone missing, and one could see that her home life had suffered because of it._

_Her mother had drowned herself in work- sometimes, the fifteen-year-old Karmyn didn't see her for days. Marie Dallas left for the lab before the girl got up for school, and returned long after her bedtime. When Karmyn did get to see her mother, she could see just how much of a toll it had taken on the woman. Her pale green eyes were tired, with dark circles taking residence underneath them. Her hair was unkempt, often flying out of the bun that she tried to restrain it in._

_Karmyn herself wasn't doing so great, more mentally than physically. To many she put up a front, as if everything in her life was fine. The only person that knew the truth behind the façade was her best friend, Katherine Jennings, from whom she couldn't hide anything._

_Still, she found herself distancing herself from her friend, and everyone else around her. It was like any façade, any illusion- get too close to it, and you can tell it's fake._

_She spent most of her time at home in her room. She had started writing a diary, in which she would let her fake exterior melt, and would write what she really felt. It spent its days hidden underneath her mattress . . . it was the one thing that she couldn't let anybody read._

_Karmyn also turned heavily to her drawings, in which she could lose herself in completely. All she needed to concentrate on was the thickness of her lines, and how accurately they were placed. She found her skill leaping within weeks._

_She also took this time to study chemistry, particularly the backgrounds of it. While her mother would teach her about the elements and whatnot, she never mentioned the history of it. Being the curious girl that she was, Karmyn Googled it._

_Thus learning of alchemy._

_She ended up reading about alchemy, and she found it great, as it half seemed like a story, half like science. Earth, Fire, Water, and Air. Curious of the mentioned symbols, she went to Google those._

_What she found accidentally changed her life drastically._

_Sure, she found the four alchemical symbols, but she also found a picture of a transmutation circle. When she clicked on it, it led her to a Fullmetal Alchemist fansite . . . thus introducing her to FMA for the first time._

_Life wasn't great, but it was peaceful. However, not everything can last. Her freshman year was ending, and in the time that she had spent retracted into herself, she had let her grades slip. She had been ignoring homework and not paying attention in class, and she had gone from an A average down to a C+._

_It happened one morning that her mother had accidentally overslept, leading her to be later to the lab than she had intended. Karmyn was up, getting ready for school._

"_Mom?" she asked in confusion as she sat at breakfast. Her mother had just walked into the room, tugging her white lab coat on._

"_Karmyn," Marie said wearily, "could you be a dear and get me a cup of coffee?"_

_She looked horrible. It was as if she had aged five years when Karmyn wasn't looking. She was working herself to the bone, and yet didn't realize it herself._

"_Mom, you look horrible," Karmyn told her, "why do you press yourself so hard? Just how much sleep did you _get_ last night?"_

"_It doesn't matter," her mother brushed her off. "I need to get this project done, and fast. Hand me the coffee, please."_

"_No!" The teen exclaimed, standing up and slamming a palm down onto the table. "If you keep going like this, you're going to kill yourself! You look like you've aged five years already! Take today off, at least! The lab can't fault you, not when you've been working so much."_

"_What I do is my business, Karmyn. Not yours. You need to be worried about your own problems. I got an email from your teachers yesterday. Needless to say, I was shocked when I saw that you were passing Geometry with a C. Your other grades aren't so great, either. What happened to my straight A student?" she asked, irritated._

"_Since when do you care?" Karmyn snapped, "You've barely been home for the past month!"_

"_It doesn't make you any less your mother, and it doesn't lower my expectations of you!"_

"_You know, this is why Dad left. You could never get your head out of your work long enough to _really_ pay attention to either of us," she said spitefully, "In a way, I don't blame him for leaving."_

_With that, she turned her back on her mother and quickly left through the front door, letting it slam behind her._

_-o-_

_She took deep breaths as she walked briskly down the street, trying to clear her head of the red haze that had found its way in there. She withdrew her cell phone from her pocket, flipping it open to send Katherine a quick text._

Wont b in skool 2day. things got bad. don't look 4 me. im fine, dont worry. See u 2morrow.

_She only hoped that it wouldn't worry her friend even more than she already had._

_Karmyn just kept walking. It wasn't long before she found herself in streets and alleyways that she didn't recognize. This was good. She needed a change of pace, somewhere that wouldn't remind her of anything that had happened._

_She entered an empty lot that looked like it had been abandoned for quite some time. Making her way to the back corner, she leaned up against the cool concrete of one of the adjacent buildings, pressing the back of her head against the hard surface._

_It wasn't long until she slid down the side of the wall to enter a sitting position, resting her head between her knees. Her blonde hair, cut to chin-length, fell around her face. Her phone buzzed at her hip, and she quickly checked it to see a message from Katherine._

U will b bak, rite? Just a 1 day thing?

_She wasn't sure. It just felt so damn good to be out on her own. Still, she had to put her friend's mind at rest._

Yes

OK. see U 2morro

_That was one thing taken care of._

_It was only then that the severity of the situation finally fell upon her. She had said things that she didn't mean, and she didn't know if she was going to be able to take them back. She was now out in the middle of Boston, and she didn't know how to get home._

_She broke down._

_Large, heaving sobs wracked her body, mixed with feelings of dread, regret, and mourning. She had never felt worse in her life. Her family had shattered in what seemed like a blink of the eye, and she had no idea how to go about fixing it. Could she even?_

_Who knew how long she had sat there. It could have been ten minutes to two hours. All she knew was that she was drawn back to her senses when she heard voices a little ways off._

"_Come on, I betcha can't catch me today!" a feminine voice called out._

"_Jax, you haven't beaten me yet!"_

"_So? There's always a first . . ."_

"_Jace! Kix! Over here!"_

_Oh, shoot. There were people, heading in her direction. There wasn't any time to get up and leave, so Karmyn still sat there, resigned to the fact that these people would find her. Not that she really cared. They would most likely leave her alone._

_They didn't _sound_ like rapists . . . more like rebellious teenagers that had skipped school, much like her at that moment._

"_So what's the goal today?" this one had more of a masculine tone to it._

"_I figured we could go around by the park, and across the new apartments that they finished recently. It's a new course, so it'll be a change in pace."_

"_Sounds great. I had been thinking of something similar myself."_

"_Hold on," a voice stopped them, "who's that?"_

_With that, Karmyn knew she had been seen. She didn't look up. She continued to focus her gaze on the dirt beneath her, trying to compose herself. She both heard and felt as footsteps approached her, until the person's shadow fell across her._

"_What's your name?"_

_Finally, Karmyn looked up. Her cheeks were still slightly wet from her tears, and she hated herself for it as she studied the figure that stood over her._

_She had dark brown, nearly black hair that was kept back in a ponytail. Her eyes were a hazel color, and her skin had a tanned tone to it. She was dressed in a tank top and shorts, and wore sneakers upon her feet._

_Behind her stood three others- another girl and then two boys. This confirmed her previous 'rebellious teenagers' thought. That alone comforted her a bit._

_She looked at them for a long while before answering. "Karmyn Dallas," she said quietly. There was no use in lying._

_The tall blond in the background looked surprised. "You mean the chemist's daughter?"_

"_How do you know my mother?" Karmyn asked suspiciously._

"_She teaches at my school."_

_Ookay. So one of these rebels went to Harvard. She hadn't been expecting that._

"_So what are you doing, sitting here against a concrete building in the middle of Boston? You should be in school, like the rest of us." The shorter redheaded girl asked this question from where she stood._

"_Family issues. I don't really want to talk about it. I just wanted to get away."_

"_Come on, stand up," the dark-haired girl told her, offering her a hand._

_Karmyn took it, pulling herself from her sitting position. She found herself on the same level as the four before her and she just stood there, not knowing whether she should leave or not._

"_You know," the dark-haired girl said, "every one of us here has felt that same way at some point in time. How do you think we ended up together?"_

"_How about you join us? It's a great stress reliever, and it feels great. It's helped all of us," the boy that had remained silent up until that point extended the offer._

_They all looked at her expectantly, but she stalled. "What would I be joining?"_

"_Parkour," came the answer._

"_You mean like all the flips and whatnot? I could never do that! I'm not nearly that skilled!"_

"_I think you're getting it confused with freerunning. Parkour is simply getting from one place to another the most efficiently, using the obstacles in the way."_

_. . . "Will I get myself killed?"_

"_Not if you're careful, and start slow."_

I shouldn't, I really shouldn't_, her inner voice told her. Still, it just sounded so tempting . . . "I'll give it a try," she said. _

"_Awesome. You'll love it. Oh, by the way, I'm Heather Christensen, but you can call me Cris when we're out here. I'm eighteen."_

"_Jason Clark," the blonde from Harvard said, "I'm nineteen. Call me Jace."_

"_Codename 'Kix'," the quiet boy said, "Real name Tyson Herald. Age seventeen."_

"_I'm Marissa Jackson," the redhead told her. "I'm sixteen, and you can call me Jax."_

_Karmyn smiled, the depressing thoughts lifted from her consciousness. "I'm Karmyn Dallas, fifteen years old."_

"_Codename Tex," Marissa (Jax) said, "For 'Texas'"_

"_Alright," Jace said, "Let's see what you can do."_

-o-O-o-

After that first day, Karmyn had kept going back. The first couple weeks had been rough. Her hands had complained, and she skinned her knees more than a couple times. She had to learn how to not fear heights, and to have the confidence that she wasn't going to fall. They had started out on easier, lower routes, but had quickly gone to rooftops as well.

She learned how to roll as she hit the ground in order to reduce impact, as well as other ninja-like skills. That wasn't to say that it didn't hurt. When she did it wrong, it caused even more pain.

Gradually, things got better at her house. She never did raise her grades in freshman year, but eventually she and her mother reconciled. Marie stopped working herself as hard, and Karmyn got back into the swing of things as well. Somehow, they arranged for Karmyn to enter honors classes again the next year.

She grew too busy, and ended up having to quit parkour. It was a shame, too, as she had just been getting good at it. She never saw Jax, Cris, Jace, or Kix again, and never again was she called 'Tex.' She ended up trying to push that year of her life from her mind, as it hurt too much to think about it.

Back in the present, she leapt off the edge of one building and hooked her fingers around the top of another. Using her feet against the wall, she propelled herself up onto the flat surface of the roof.

Looking out over Boston, she wondered what would happen if she jumped. Would she die? Was she really back in the USA?

-o-O-o-

_Yes, I'm stopping it there. It took me two days to write it as it is. Anyhow. I have an urgent question to ask of you people._

_What do you want to know about Karmyn? Her past, etc. I need your input. Desperately. Please tell me in your review!_

_Btw, this is the type of parkour that they're doing. __**ht tp :/ www . you tube . com / watch?v=SMppD-bUNWo**_

_Sayonara!_


	60. 00 Xxxxxxxx, 0000 Cont II

_I'm sorry. I disappeared for a while. Sometimes I'm just not in the mood to write, ya know?_

_This is the SIXTIETH chapter already. I dunno how I've done it. A lot of it is thanks to all of you folks. Thank you. Arigatou gosaimasu._

_Anyhow. I have ideas stirring in my head for another FMA story and an Ouran story. Ed x OC and Haruhi x Kyoya, respectively. They're only in my head at the moment, though._

_Buut, anyhow._

_**I have a poll on my profile. I would appreciate it if you could take the time to vote.**_

_Let's go on, shall we?_

-o-O-o-

**00 Xxxxxxx, 0000**

She decided that she just didn't care anymore.

Staring down at the drop that she faced, she knew that if she was truly back in America, she wouldn't be able to live like she had before. This very thought surprised her- it shocked her to find out that she no longer considered America 'home.' For the longest time, she had fought to believe that Amestris was 'home,' and she forgot when she had stopped fighting.

'Home is where the heart is,' and her heart was still in Amestris. She appreciated that she was able to see Katherine again, and her mother, but she couldn't live here. Not anymore. Boston was almost alien to her now, as alien as Amestris had been to her when she first arrived there.

She turned her face to the sky, allowing a couple tears to trail down her face. Images appeared unbidden, of Ed and Al, her father, Winry- even Mustang. An image of Envy followed, and her eyes widened. _That_ was why she needed to get back. At the moment, she was the only one that knew of the Homunculi's existence. She couldn't confirm that the others were back as well, but she had a sneaking suspicion that they were.

And she was the only one that could stop them.

That was when she made up her mind. She needed to get back in order to warn the Elrics and Amestris. She wasn't going to be the weakling anymore- she was determined to learn alchemy and protect the 'fictional' country that she had come to call her own.

It only took three running steps before she felt gravity acting upon her, pulling her down towards the earth. The day wasn't windy, but the air rushed past her. She refused to close her eyes, instead keeping them trained on the ever-growing patch of ground beneath her. Her vision was blurred from the tears that the wind was ripping from her eyes, and she blinked to clear her view.

What seemed like an eternity passed. _I'm sorry, Katherine,_ she thought. _Sorry, Mom. If you knew what was truly happening, perhaps you would understand._

In reality, it was only a few seconds before it was all over. She braced herself for the impact, and everything went black.

-o-O-o-

It was an odd sense of deja-vu. Karmyn found herself hurting through blackness once again, surrounded by strands of images and information that she remembered seeing once before, when she first ended up in Amestris. Just then, the severity of this knowledge hit her fully. She could've kicked herself. The entire time that she had been trying to learn alchemy, she could've done it by clapping her hands! She had seen the Truth already . . . why hadn't she thought of it?

She looked around herself with this newfound knowledge, trying to take in as much information as she could. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before the blackness puked her out into the white nothingland of Truth's domain.

"I guess I'm not dead, then . . ." she muttered to herself, "but am I actually here?"

She remembered that the Drachman guy said that the drug caused hallucinations. Was that what this was? Was it just one giant hallucination? She was so confused, not to mention disoriented.

Karmyn glanced up sharply as she saw a shape form out of the nothingness of her surroundings. However, it wasn't the little Truth guy that she was so used to seeing. In fact, she knew this shape even better than the little Truth guy.

"Mom!"

"I have only taken the shape of your mother- the sacrifice that I took when you went through the gate," Truth said.

Okay. It was downright creepy hearing Truth's voice coming from her mother's body. She refused to lose herself to the depression that had plagued her since she landed in Amestris. She had done enough of that in the past few months. Not anymore. She had her resolve now.

"Am I actually here?" she asked, "or is this just some hallucination I'm having?"

"That is a question I cannot answer," the annoying bugger said, "but that you must answer for yourself."

"I hate it when you throw things back at me," Karmyn muttered. She thought for a minute before answering her mother's figure. "I'm not actually here. I can't afford to be here. I need to get back. I'm currently in a cot somewhere in Drachma, hallucinating all of this. I need to wake up!"

Her mother grinned Truth's grin, which was seriously downright creepy. "Right that way," it said, pointing.

"Thank you," Karmyn said. Once more, she turned away from her mother. It was starting to lose its painfulness, as it was becoming a more common occurrence. Still, it caused a twinge in her heart as she stepped through the giant grey double doors that randomly rested in the middle of nowhere.

She blacked out once again, her last thought being, _Time to go back to my living Hell._

-o-O-o-

_It's cold_, she thought as she blinked into consciousness once more. She was back in the dirty room in the middle of Drachma, and she didn't know whether she should be relieved or not. She had a massive headache, and still felt slightly disoriented. Not to mention she was freezing.

_How long was I out?_ She wondered, looking wearily around her. Gradually, she tried to push herself to a sitting position. Her head protested, as did her arm. Glancing down, she saw that the inside of her elbow was still bruised.

_Click._

Karmyn nearly cringed as she heard the door to the room click open. She looked up, only to see Andrei- no- _Envy_ enter the room. The door swung shut behind him, locking itself with yet another _click_.

Her heart started pounding. She wasn't afraid. Really she . . . was. Who wouldn't be? Even the Elrics had been at least slightly afraid of the homunculus. She frantically tried to justify her fear, thus trying to keep her mind off of the approaching anomaly.

"So you're awake. That's good," he said as he shifted from the Drachman noble to the palm tree that she knew.

"How long was I out?" she demanded, hiding her fear from him as best she could.

"About a week," the homunculus told her. "It was quite interesting to watch. You talked." He grinned sadistically, shifting to take her form and putting on a falsetto voice. "Katherine, I'm sorry! What happened to me? Where am I? I can't be here!" He shifted back. "It was really quite entertaining."

Karmyn just glared at him, slightly creeped out from seeing him take her image. Her heart was still beating abnormally, but she now had herself under control. She had to make it through this.

"You talked, but you still wouldn't _talk._ Even when I asked you questions, you refused to tell me anything _useful_. So let's try this again. Who are you to the Elrics?"

"A friend," she answered vaguely.

"How did you end up with them?"

"We met under certain . . . circumstances, and they decided that I could stay with them." She could tell that she had irritated him slightly with that answer. Parts of her were proud, while other parts were quaking in terror.

"And what _circumstances_ were these?"

"As if I'd tell you," she declared defiantly.

The next thing she knew was pain. He had lashed out with his inhuman reflexes and hit her across the face, knocking her from her bed.

"I didn't want to have to resort to this, but you leave me no choice. _What do you know about the Philosopher's Stone?_"

"Nothing . . . that I would tell you about."

_Bam._ A swift kick sent her flying across the room, stopping only when she hit the wall. She was bleeding, and in more intense pain than she had ever felt, even more than that incident in Ceredigion. She gritted her teeth, trying not to scream.

"Resorting to the third degree now, are we? Fine," she managed to speak, "but it's an eye for an eye. I'll answer some of your questions . . . if you answer some of mine."

"Works for me," he said, putting on a happy face. "I go first. What do you know about the Philosopher's Stone?"

"I know that there is a way to make one without using human souls," she answered breathily, smirking. "My turn. Who are working for?"

Envy laughed. "Nobody!" he said gleefully. "This time, it's all us. Our plans, our way."

Us. So there were more of them.

"How do you create a Philosopher's Stone?"

Karmyn didn't respond for quite some time, prompting Envy to throw her against another wall. Her body hit the surface with a resounding _thwack_, and crumpled to the floor.

"HOW DO YOU CREATE A PHILOSOPHER'S STONE?"

She took deep breaths, trying to steady herself and prevent the black spots in her vision from taking over. "Chemistry. You use chemistry. _There_. I answered your question . . . my turn." She clenched her fists, attempting to keep conscious. She had to keep her questions simple. She needed straight answers, not dicey ones like she was giving.

"How did you come back? You died."

"Should I let you in on a little secret?" He asked her, getting close to her face, "The seven sins never _die_. They're just more prominent in some than others. Now- what is Chemistry?"

_The seven sins never die . . . that was true . . . more prominent in some than others . . . did that mean that Andrei had been particularly envious? Of who, though?_ Karmyn thought for a minute before she finally came up with the most logical answer. _His brother. His brother ran a country, yet he was just there as a spare- as a backup . . ._

Crap. She forgot that he had asked his question already. Pain quickly followed, and she could taste blood running into her mouth. Black dots once again swarmed her vision like ants, and she tried her best to chase them away.

"A more . . . scientific version of . . . alchemy. Why . . . did you do this?

"Why? To start a war between Amestris and Drachma. It makes things easier for us, _and_ I get some answers."

"You won't succeed. I . . . won't let you." She threatened him, knowing that it wasn't a good idea.

"A little weakling like you? Don't make me laugh."

It only took one more blow, and the ants finally took out her vision.

At last, she could let go of the pain that held her in its grasp.

-o-O-o-

_Sorry, it's a short chapter. I tried, and the last chapter was kinda long. Soo . . . yeah. But we find some things out!_

_When I originally started this story, it was an anticipated 50 chapters long. I am now looking at 100 . . . at least._

_Happy 60__th__ chapter! I hope you all stay with me!_

_Sayounara!_


	61. 5 April, 1917 Elric Intervention V

_As soon as I wrote the author's note, I started on this chapter. Let's see how soon it gets up . . . -.-"_

-o-O-o-

**5 April, 1917**  
><em><strong>Elric Intervention<strong>_

Silence reigned in the back of the military van that wound its way through the roads of Amestris. There was never a situation where a tenser atmosphere could be sensed. The six people seated in the back didn't speak, each caught up in their own little worlds. They were an interesting assortment of people, but they had each decided to take up this dangerous mission.

The long-haired blond on the end sat forward in his seat, his elbows resting upon his knees. In his left hand lay a tiny metal cylinder which he presently closed his fingers over, clenching it tightly. His golden eyes looked out the back of the covered van, fixated on the retreating scenery. One glancing upon him may only see slight signs of stress and anxiety, but that was far from the truth. On further inspection, one could see the dark circles that lay under his bright eyes and the general weariness of his countenance. His was a look of one that hadn't gotten much sleep for the past few weeks, and was suffering from it. Still his body stood tensed and prepared for a fight, and a certain determined fire burned behind his gaze. The young man wasn't about to give in yet.

Across from him sat another teenager, his shorter, somewhat darker locks falling into his face. Unlike his brother, he slouched back in his seat, his arms crossed against his body. His eyes remained closed, giving the illusion that he was sleeping. The only thing that broke this illusion was that once and a while one of his eyes would crack open. The grey orb would survey its surroundings briefly before rejoining the other in its hiding. This young man, too, displayed the signs of fatigue. He shared the same weary aura as the young man across from him, but he too was not yet beaten. He gave off a calmer appearance, but the wheels in his brain were turning, thinking things through over and over again. Unseen but to a trained eye, his jaw tensed as he bit down on his tongue, straining to keep himself under control. _Only a little longer_, he told himself, _only a little bit longer._

Each of the four other occupants wore the royal blue of the Amestrian military. Next to the second teenager sat a black-haired, dark-eyed young man in his early thirties. He examined the backs of his glove-encased hands idly, as if he had better things to be doing at that moment. Only the slight furrowing of his eyebrows betrayed his cool demeanor, giving way to the concern and ire that he had hidden below.

Beside him rested the blonde female of the group. She kept her hands busy, checking and re-checking the various artillery that she had strapped around her body. Taking a handgun, she swiftly disassembled it before putting it back together again in a matter of minutes. Her face displayed no emotions as she kept her eyes downcast and focused on her current task. She leaned ever so slightly against the dark-haired man next to her, offering him the little reassurance that she could without anyone else noticing.

This left the men on the other side of the van, on the same seat as the first young man. The blond in the furthest back corner was asleep, and every once and a while a snore could be heard. His arms were clasped around the rifle that he had with him, and one would be lying if they said he was unconcerned with the situation. He cared just as much as the others in the van with him, even if he didn't act it.

The last man, however, was obviously fretful. His weapon lay forgotten on his lap as he wrought his fingers together. Anxiety shone behind his sapphire eyes, and he bit his lip in apprehension. He, too, hand dark circles underneath his eyes and the pallor of someone that hadn't been taking care of themselves all too well.

It had been over a month.

Over a month since the trio of Edward, Alphonse, and Karmyn had gone to Briggs. Over a month since the attack on the military stronghold.

Over a month since Karmyn had disappeared.

Alphonse could still remember that day clearly- it wasn't something that would be gone from his memory for a while.

Karmyn had issued her eerily accurate warning about the imminent attack by the Drachmans, and he and his brother raced to fight alongside the General in order to defend the fortress of Briggs. The fight hadn't lasted long, as the Amestrians had advanced weaponry and technology. It was almost mysterious how unprepared the Drachmans had been for their attack. Nonetheless, it allowed the Amestrians an easy win.

Neither of the Elrics had known exactly how Karmyn had been able to sense the approaching army, or how she had known that there was a guy outside their door. It was only later, after she had gone missing, that they had pieced together a possible explanation.

She had told them back in North City that she got panic attacks often, about once a week. They remembered how she had said that it was most likely due to the fact that her biological clock ran about a hundred times faster than anyone else in Amestris. That was one effect that crossing the Gate had taken on her, as Truth could not make everything perfect. Using that information, Edward and Alphonse moved on. The idea had come to them one day while they were listening to the radio. Everyone had 'life energy.' Edward likened this energy to sound waves. Everyone's energy was the same, keeping a constant 'background noise' that that was just that-'noise'. However, Karmyn's energy could still be attached to her biological clock, running a hundred times faster than everyone else. To her, all the other 'wavelengths' of energy were slowed down considerably, allowing her the ability to listen to them, to hear what they were actually saying. Therefore, she could identify a person just by the 'sound waves' that their energy emitted.

However, back to Briggs. When the Elrics and Armstrong had gotten back to the room where they had left Karmyn, they found that she wasn't there. The General had been furious, and immediately suspected that she was, in fact, a spy sent to snoop them out. The three of them, along with other soldiers, split up to search for the missing seventeen-year-old.

It was Alphonse that had found the canister lying on the ground, along with the broken chain and several links lying around.

_Immediately, it felt as if his heart stopped. Stunned, Al looked down at the small metal object he held in his hand. Surely it couldn't be!_

_When his heart finally started up again it was as if it had to make up for lost time, beating twice as fast and twice as hard as it usually did. He immediately scrambled to transmute the top of the canister open, and when he saw the papers inside, he fell back on his heels. Letting his hands drop, he just sat there._

_There was no real proof that anything seriously wrong had happened, yet he knew that something had. Karmyn knew just how important this canister was. She always wore it, and there wasn't even a clasp- Al had transmuted the chain together so that it wouldn't fall off. And yet, it had. No . . . it hadn't fallen off._

_It was then that the younger Elric noticed the various bits of chain lying around him. The necklace hadn't simply fallen off. It had been taken off by force._

_He didn't remember how long he sat there before Edward and the General had found him._

"_Al?" Ed's concerned voice crept into his consciousness, "did you find anything?"_

"_You could say that," he responded bitterly, holding out the canister and necklace for his brother to see._

"_Is that . . .?"_

_Al nodded. "Yes, it is. I checked. Something happened here, something bad, and I don't know what." Both Elrics fell silent for a minute. "Brother? Why do you think she would leave this here when it's so important to her?"_

_Edward twisted a corner of his mouth in a wry smile. Slowly, he crouched down so that he was on the same level as his brother. "Al, Karmyn's smart. Why do you think? Maybe it was so that one of us would find it, and ask these questions. Maybe it was because she knew something was wrong, and this was the only way that she was able to tell us."_

"_Perhaps you're right," Alphonse admitted "it certainly worked that way!"_

"_Exactly," the older Elric agreed, "now we just need to find her."_

"_Would one of you boys please tell me what's going on down there?" an icy voice suddenly broke them out of their 'moment.'_

_Oops._

On the way back to central, the two Elrics couldn't help but worry about their friend. It was obvious that something had happened, and they suspected kidnapping. By –who else– the Drachmans. The problem was that they had no solid evidence to prove this. Even they were confused- why would the Drachmans kidnap Karmyn? She wasn't a military officer, heck, she wasn't even a citizen! The only reason they could think of was that she was from the other side of the Gate, but there was no possible way for them to know that. Even if they did, why would they want her?

Back at Central, they informed Mustang and the Fuhrer of what had happened. Unfortunately, without evidence, they were told to just sit tight. Irritated but acknowledging the fact that there was nothing that they could do at the moment, they retreated to the library to do what they always fell back on- researching, learning, and reading.

Their first lead came a few days later, when General Armstrong called Headquarters to report that Captain Gabriel Neidel was missing. After an intensive search conducted by Mustang, they discovered that Neidel was not at any of the other military bases. Even if it wasn't official, both the Elrics and Mustang began to affirm the sketchy Captain as the kidnapper.

"_You know, Karmyn never liked Neidel," Alphonse commented one day as they pored over various tomes in the massive library._

"_Yeah," Edward replied offhandedly, absorbed in his own book. "I remember she used to call him Captain Noodle behind his back . . . maybe she knew that he couldn't be trusted."_

_It fell silent for a minute or two. "Brother," the younger Elric said quietly, "you used past tense. Do you really think she's . . ." Al couldn't get the rest of his sentence out. It had been about two weeks since she had disappeared, and it still hurt to think of her. It was getting worse with each passing day._

_Sighing, Ed closed his book. "No, Al. No, I think she's still living. If the Drachmans _did_ kidnap her, then she's probably going through Hell at the moment . . . but she's still alive. She has to be."_

"_She has to be . . ." came the soft echo._

Really, one missing civilian shouldn't call for military involvement. However, both General Mustang and Fuhrer Grumman knew that Karmyn wasn't any ordinary civilian. She carried vital information that could become critical to the State of Amestris. Together, they spun some elaborate lie that validated their excuse to send reconnaissance into Drachma to search for the abducted teenage girl.

Five weeks since Karmyn was kidnapped.

Three weeks since recon was sent out.

It was about time that they got some answers.

The recon units had infiltrated the army that had attacked Briggs, and had gotten a few vague answers out of them. Apparently they had seen some figure drag a girl through the snow until they reached one of the tanks. The figure fired on the Drachmans, effectively commandeering the armored vehicle. The tank had headed east-northeast, into the snowy plains of the country.

Six weeks since Karmyn went missing, and they had the co-ordinates of the compound in which she was imprisoned.

Fuhrer Grumman assigned General Mustang to lead the recovery mission himself, telling him that he could choose any men that he wanted for the job. He could have had any number of people, but in the end, Mustang chose only six-

Himself  
>Colonel Riza Hawkeye<br>Lieutenant Colonel Jean Havoc  
>Edward Elric<br>Alphonse Elric  
>Sergeant Major Robert Cross<p>

It was only fair that Karmyn's father was assigned to the mission. The man had not been himself ever since he had heard that Karmyn had gone missing. The man was adept with a gun, and capable of following orders. Mustang felt that if they made it out of this mission alive, then a promotion might be in order for the blue-eyed soldier.

So thus, the six of them found themselves in the back of a military van, headed towards enemy territory. Karmyn Marie Dallas was an asset to the Amestrian government, and they were going to get her back.

At long last, both of Alphonse's eyes opened at the same time, and they locked with the golden orbs of his brother's. Strong gaze met strong gaze, and Edward's hand clenched once more around the little grey canister before he tossed it across the van.

Al swiftly uncrossed his arms and reached out to nab it out of the air. When he met his brother's eyes yet again, words were spoken for the first time since they set out from Central.

"We'll find her."

-o-O-o-

_I love the beginning of this chapter. I'm sorry if it's a little more impersonal than you would have liked. I didn't really get their feelings and all that in there like I wanted to. However, I had to get through over a month of time, so if I was gonna do that, I couldn't really put in all that emotion without making it at least an extra three or four chapters. Maybe you'll get a one-shot in there or something._

_Hahah, I got this done the same day I wrote the author's note . . . I guess I just needed to get my brain thinking about it. . ._

_And nobody knows who said those last words there. It's meant to be read that anyone in the van could have said it. Except maybe Havoc, who is still asleep in the corner . . . _-.-"

_I'll try to update quicker next time, alright?_

_It's almost been a year since I started writing this . . . what do you want as an update on that day? Please tell me!_

_Sayonara!_


	62. 9 April, 1917

_I am kind of disappointed. I only got seven reviews for the last chapter, and I personally thought it would get a lot more than that, especially since it's been a while since I updated . . . :(_

_**Anyhow. I've noticed that a lot of people have done this, so I'm gonna try to do it as well. Would anyone be interested in doing a one-shot contest?**_

_It's simple. Just take any of the characters in the story and write a one-shot! There are no limitations but to keep them in character and PG-13 or under. You could have it take place in America, or Amestris, from the romance that I'm supposed to write :/ to events that occurred to the characters while Karmyn was kidnapped. Heck, you could even center around Katharine, and write a one-shot about her._

_The deadline is June 18. Winners will be announced on the one-year anniversary on June 20, and your stories will be published within Truth & Fiction._

_How about it? I'm curious to see what you come up with!_

-o-O-o-

**April 9, 1917**

_I see nothing, hear nothing. I can no longer comprehend what is going on around me. I have no clue where I am, or how long it's been since he was last here. I can barely even move at this point. It takes all my energy just to keep up this charade of defiance, to keep my jaw closed and my tongue still. Why do I still fight? _

_I fight for my friends, my family, and everyone else who has ever meant anything to me._

-o-O-o-

"That's it," the Flame Alchemist told them.

The six of them that were on the 'Karmyn Rescue Team' lay behind a large snowdrift, camouflaged by their white snowgear. They had been travelling by foot since they left Briggs, and days had passed. At last they had reached the place that Intelligence had told them about.

Edward and Alphonse peered over the large white dune. Before them lay a small, squat, rundown cement compound. It looked cold, in both a literal and figurative sense. The two Elrics dreaded to think that their friend had been kept here for over a month. Still, it was the truth, and the two of them had learned long ago never to deny the truth.

Ed watched the complex with critical eyes. "Dammit," he said softly, "those bastards have been keeping her here the entire time?" He turned to his brother, whom had given no response to his rhetorical question. "Al? Are you alright?"

His question was met with soulful grey eyes that turned to meet his own gold ones. "What have we done?" Al asked shakily, surprising the heck out of his older brother.

The eighteen-year-old quickly glanced over his shoulder at the adults that were sitting nearby. "What do you mean?" he asked, dropping his voice down to a near-whisper. He searched his brother's face for some sort of sign as to what he was thinking but like himself, the boy had learned to hide his thoughts from his face.

"I mean," Al said, also dropping his voice, "I can't help but feel like this was our fault. She's in Amestris because of us. If she had stayed in Boston, she wouldn't have been subjected to this. It's like nothing good has happened to her since she met us. She lost her mother, lost her friend, and has nearly been killed multiple times. And now this!"

He was clearly distraught, Ed could tell. His eyes were wide and desperate, and he had rested his forehead in the palm of his hand. When had Edward ever seen his little brother like this? He quickly wracked his brains, searching for an answer. To his amazement, he couldn't find one. What was going on?

Still, he thought about what Alphonse had said. It wasn't entirely false. It _was_ kind of their fault for enwrapping her in the dangers that surrounded them. They could have protested more when she said that she would travel with them, he could have informed her more about the dangers she would be facing. _Could've, should've, would've won't help us now,_ he rationalized.

"Al," he whispered, hoping to calm his brother's mind, "it was her choice. She knew our story; she knew how much trouble we get into, and how many enemies we have. She knew that, and she could have chosen to leave. But she didn't. Stop blaming yourself for getting her into this, and start thinking about how we're going to beat her captors' asses."

Alphonse nodded, a weak smile appearing on his face. "Okay, Brother. Thank you."

Unknown to the two of them, a certain black-haired General had overheard their hushed conversation. He was astonished by what he had heard. What had happened to the hotheaded immature brat that he had known but a year before?

_It hasn't been a year for him,_ he reminded himself silently, _for them, it's been at least ninety years._ He smirked almost unnoticeably as he realized something. Apparently ninety years of having to hide himself was what it had taken to mellow out the Fullmetal Alchemist. Who knew?

It was still weird to see Alphonse as a human. For as long as Roy had known him, he had been in his suit of large metal armor. To see him in the flesh was unnerving, especially with his similarities to Edward. Sometimes it was like seeing double. It was getting easier now but the man still had to do a double take from time to time to make sure that he had the right person.

"Fullmetal, Alphonse," he called out to them, waving them over, "come on."

"What is it now, General Bastard?" Edward muttered under his breath, shooting glares towards the military officer.

_Okay, maybe he's not completely mature,_ Mustang corrected himself. "We've come up with a plan to infiltrate the compound. You may want to hear this."

The two Elrics looked at each other once more before approaching the rest of the group. Ed plopped down quite ungracefully into a cross-legged position, while Al took a little more time in getting himself situated. When they were ready, Colonel Hawkeye began to speak.

"This is the compound," she started, pointing at a square that had been drawn into the snow between them. Moving over, she pointed to an oval a little ways off. "This is us," she clarified, "now here's the plan. Havoc and I will create a distraction further east, while the Elrics will take that opportunity to get into the building. The General will follow after, backing the Elrics as necessary. Sergeant Cross, your job is to keep a lookout and help the Elrics get Ms. Dallas away from the building. Is everyone clear on their positions?" All throughout, she had been drawing out paths on the little makeshift map that she had created, demonstrating where everyone would be.

The group nodded as one, though there was some grumbling from General Mustang about how he shouldn't have to be backing Edward, but the other way around. Nobody paid him any attention as they knew that he would consent to the plan anyway.

"Oh, one more thing," Hawkeye said, "no alchemy unless absolutely necessary. We don't want these people to know who we are."

As expected, this elicited an even louder indignant cry from the General and set the Fullmetal Alchemist to some complaining.

Mission initiated.

Start.

-o-O-o-

Edward and Alphonse crept across the snowy tundra-like expanse. Even in early April, a fair amount of the powdery whiteness lay like a blanket on the ground. It made the going a little more difficult than it could have been, but they had to deal with it. There was no other way or chance that they could retrieve their friend.

The two of them quickly hid in the snow as they heard gunfire and explosives in the distance. Colonel Hawkeye and Lieutenant Colonel Havoc were certainly doing their job well. Cautiously Al began to sit up before quickly lying back down as a squad of about ten soldiers ran out to investigate the cause of the disturbance. When they had passed, the two teens sprung up from their hiding spots and dashed towards the door.

Edward wrenched on the handle, trying to force it open. Unfortunately, Drachmans weren't entirely stupid and had locked the door after the soldiers had run out.

"Dammit," he swore as he struggled with entry. "You know what? Screw it," he muttered to himself. Letting go of the handle he clapped his hands together silently before transmuting the lock, rendering it useless. "There we go," he said more happily.

Al couldn't help but roll his eyes at his older brother's antics. Edward was one to completely disregard the rules in order to get something done, this being no different. Usually he would complain, but all he wanted to do was to get Karmyn out of the hellhole she was in and back to safety. If ignoring the rules would allow them to do that, then so be it.

They quietly entered the rundown complex. Inside, the painted walls were peeling and the hallway was lit only by a dim lightbulb. Overall, it gave a general sense of eeriness. It was foreboding, and dirty, and generally just a nasty place to be.

"It's strange," Edward commented under his breath, "I would think that Drachman prison facilities would be a bit cleaner. It seems that this one hasn't been used in a long time."

"Yeah," Al echoed, "It's like it's been abandoned, but it hasn't. Much like . . ."

"Lab Five, yeah . . ." Ed finished the sentence before trailing off.

They continued walking down the long, deserted hallway, their footsteps echoing within the corridor. The bitter silence that they were otherwise met with unnerved them. Where were the soldiers? The kidnappers? Neidel? There was no one, not a living, breathing person that they could sense. Was it a trap? A fluke? Was Karmyn really not here at all?

"We'd better split up, we'll find her faster that way," Edward said unconvincingly. Al bit his lip, looking around himself nervously.

"Alright. You go that way, I'll go this way," he suggested, pointing.

Upon agreement, the two did indeed go their separate ways.

The complex was larger on the inside than it looked on the outside. Both Ed and Al searched through multiple rooms, cautiously opening one door after the next. Fifteen minutes later, and they still hadn't found anything that pointed to Karmyn's presence.

Until, that is, Edward opened one last door.

_Oh, God,_ the teen thought, his eyes wide in stunned shock. _Fuck._

Karmyn was there, but whether she was alive or dead, he couldn't tell. She sat in one corner of the whitewashed, bloodstained room, her glassy eyes focusing on nothing in particular, just looking down at the floor. Her legs were splayed straight out in front of her, and she looked like she was nothing more than a doll.

"Karmyn. Karmyn! Come on! We're here! You'll be safe now," he said desperately, hoping she was alive. He started to approach her, and he could see her wounds in sordid detail. Her face was encrusted with dried blood, but he couldn't see any cuts other than the couple that had already scarred over above her eye. She was still wearing the clothes she had on when she was kidnapped, and they were in really rough shape.

At the sound of his voice, her head lifted, her glassy blue-and-green eyes gazing at him unseeingly. He watched as they suddenly shot open.

"_No!_" she screamed. "_No! I will _not _fall for this again! You got me last time, I figured you out!_" She scrambled to back herself up against the wall as much as possible. Her words pierced holes through the young alchemist's being. Why would she be so afraid of him? What was she talking about _again_?

It took him a moment to register that she had gone back to speaking English. Why? What had happened to the girl that he had known but a month ago? He took a step forward, holding his hands out in front of him to show her that he held nothing.

"Karmyn, it's me! Edward! You know, the Fullmetal Alchemist? Your friend? I'm here with Al and General Ba-Mustang, and Colonel Hawkeye and your father, and Jean Havoc! We're going to get you out of here."

"_Stop!_" she screeched, "_stay _away_ from me! You have no right! NO RIGHT! Aren't you happy with what you've done? Why must you do this again! Just go away! I'm not telling you anything!"_

Ed stopped, realizing that he wasn't going to be able to get through to her in this state of mind. He was still standing there staring at her when Alphonse ran up behind him.

"What was that?" he asked breathily, "I heard the yelling . . ." he made a choked teary noise when his eyes lay upon Karmyn for the first time. "Is that . . . ?"

Edward nodded, sending Al's stomach plummeting to the ground. No, this wasn't true. This was only a nightmare, it wasn't real. He would wake up, and the entire thing would be gone. At least, that's what he wanted to believe.

His chest was pounding, and every beat of his heart only hurt him more. This was the girl that had helped them get back to Amestris. This was the girl that had travelled with him for weeks. This was the girl that he considered his best friend. This was the girl that had always had considerable strength, facing everything that came her way . . . until now.

This wasn't the girl he knew. This girl's spirit was broken, her peace of mind shattered. This girl had gone through things that no one should ever have to. This girl . . . didn't even trust them at the moment.

Karmyn fell silent upon Al's arrival, and she looked at him in confusion before glancing back at Ed. Her gaze flicked between the two multiple times. "_Wait, how . . . you can't be two places at once . . . that's impossible."_

"She's speaking in English?" Al inquired, confused.

"Yeah," Edward replied, "Exclusively. It's like she's forgotten Amestrian, except I know she hasn't, because she understood what I said, I think."

The younger brother bit his lip, glancing over at Karmyn before closing his eyes. It hurt just to look at her, and not physically. It was something else that he couldn't explain, nor understand. He took a deep breath before walking forward and crouching in front of the frightened girl. Edward just looked on in apprehension.

"_Karmyn, believe me. It's just us. Me, Alphonse Percival Elric and my brother, Edward Ethan Elric. We're not going to hurt you. We really do need to get you out of here. It's been over a month since you disappeared,_" he said in English. He watched her face as it flitted from emotion to emotion, undecided on what to believe.

"_You . . . you're speaking . . . but you never understood . . . that's why . . ._" she trailed off, seeming to think. "_Percival? Ethan?_" A look of realization and abject joy spread across her face. "_Alphonse? Edward? Is it really . . . alchemy. Alchemy . . . proof . . ._"

Al's heart nearly deflated in relief. "Brother, show her your alchemy. She wants proof that we're real," he called back to a dumbfounded Edward. He just nodded.

"Okay," he said, clapping his hands together and transmuting a staff out of the ground before returning things to the way they were.

Karmyn looked at Alphonse, inquiry in her eyes. He smiled softly before transmuting a small cat figurine and handing it to her. She looked at in wonder, the grin on her face growing wider by the second.

"_It is!_" She cried before she threw herself forward and clasped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. _"It is! I thought . . . you weren't . . ._" she murmured into his shoulder in between her happy sobs. The tears running down her face were getting him wet, but she couldn't bring herself to pull away.

"_Of course we were coming,_" Al told her, "_What kind of friends did you think we are?_"

He didn't get an answer in return, only the sound of her relieved tears. He smiled, picking her up as he stood. It was much easier than it should have been. Already he could tell that she was malnourished, and that she hadn't eaten well since she had first been captured. "We're all set," he told his brother, turning to face him.

"Good," Edward replied. "Let's get the hell out of here. General Bastard is probably wondering where we are, and why there haven't been sounds of a scuffle of some sort."

"Her father will be so happy that she's alive," Alphonse commented, "he hasn't been right since he found out."

There were no longer any sounds coming from the girl in his arms other than even breathing, and the two brothers knew that she was probably getting some much-needed sleep.

"Let's go," Ed said, a smile gracing his own face. It quickly fell as he saw a rat scurry past them and down the hallway. "This place is really creepy."

With that, the two alchemists and their friend made their way out of the complex and to their awaiting friends and comrades.

-o-O-o-

The sound of the door slamming in the wake of the Elrics echoed loudly throughout the compound. The rat paused and looked back at it, its nose twitching. Then, like some anomaly, the rat began swelling and changing until there was no longer a rat, but a person. At least, some facsimile of a person.

The scantily clad homunculus laughed in the emptiness, the sound of its cackle echoing and reverberating throughout the building. "That pipsqueak and his brother didn't even suspect anything! They think they had it so easy, get in here to find what they thought to be an abandoned facility and rescue the bitch! They didn't even _suspect_!"

Envy smirked evilly, still laughing quietly to himself. "Karmyn Dallas, you're an interesting one. We'll be meeting again someday, you can count on it."

With that, he disappeared into the shadows of the compound.

-o-O-o-

_Longer chapter! Yay! Who can guess why she was only speaking in English? I can take two answers as correct ones. Well, three._

_Remember the one-shot contest! No word-count limitations, either! I'm looking forward to reading them._

_Sayonara!_


	63. 10 April, 1917

_Okay. Let's see if I can write this chapter. I've procrastinated for long enough this morning._

_Anyhow, as for my question last chapter, "Why is Karmyn only speaking English," I would have accepted any of three answers- "She knew Envy couldn't speak it," "It was a test so she would know when the real Elrics came," or one other answer, which no one got, so I won't reveal it yet. Congratulations to:  
><em>**Wyxlan Lonestar, Shadow the Ranger, yyh-ygo-fma, Falling Raene, Nikkome Konno, what-is-the-color-of-love, SeaDevil**

_Remember: One-shot contest, no limitations but PG-13 or under, and it has to relate to the story. You can PM your story to me, or you can email it to _**Philosophium116(at)gmail(dot)com**. _(guess where I came up with the idea for that address!)_

_Random fact: My friend and I just spent the entire day deciding which FMA characters the people in our band would represent. I'm Winry- Cute and innocent, but hurt people out of nowhere._

_Alright. Let's go._

-o-O-o-

**10 April, 1917**

Edward, Alphonse and Sergeant Cross sat on a bench as they waited for Karmyn to come out of the emergency room. Both the General and the Colonel had left hours before, saying that they really couldn't stay away from Central much longer. It pissed Edward off the fact that Mustang had gone on this mission with them to retrieve her, seen the state she was in, and then left as if it didn't matter anything to him. Of course, he wasn't too surprised. He knew that the General didn't have a compassionate bone in his body.

Alphonse sat beside his brother, not paying much attention to anything around him. His focus remained on the door in front of them, hoping that the doctors were able to help Karmyn. His fingers intertwined nervously, playing with each other in the same way that they had been since they had arrived at the hospital in the northern town of Clarkstead. Despite what his brother had told him the day before, he still couldn't help but feel that it was at least partially his fault for the mess that the girl had landed in.

His mind flashed back to the day before, as they carried Karmyn out of the Drachman facility.

_The Elrics exited the compound, where they found the General still standing outside, utterly confused. Any other time and Edward would have fully appreciated the rare look on his face, but they had more pressing concerns to worry about._

"_That was quick," Mustang said, "what happened?"_

"_The place was abandoned," Edward told him, "other than the soldiers that ran out, there was nobody in there."_

_A few more words were exchanged between the two, but Al had quit listening a little while back. He looked down at the figure he held in his arms. She was not in good shape. Her hair was matted with blood and dirt, as were her clothes. It was then that she realized that she was only wearing a torn shirt and ripped-up jeans that were doing nothing to protect her from the cold. Her shoes were missing as well, leaving her in her worn-down socks._

_A few seconds later, he could feel her trembling. He made a split-second decision and called to get Ed's attention._

"_Brother," he said, "can you hold her for a minute? I'm going to give her my jacket- it's freezing out here."_

_Ed nodded his agreement, holding out his arms to take her. The only problem was Karmyn wouldn't relinquish her grasp around Al's shoulders._

"_Karmyn," Al told her quietly, "wake up."_

_He was met with a sleepy groan as she raised her head to look at him. "_What is it?_" she asked him, obviously out of it. Al found himself wondering what it was that they had done to her to cause her to act like this._

"_I need you to let go of me. I'm going to hand you to Brother so I can give you my jacket," he explained._

"Don'wanna,_" she slurred sleepily, "_you're warm._"_

_Al could feel himself flush at this, though he didn't know why. It's not like she said anything embarrassing or something like that. "Yes, well," he started, "You'll be even warmer after I give you my jacket. So please? I don't want you getting frostbite."_

_There was a few moments' pause. "_Fine,_" she agreed, loosening her hold._

_She was quickly handed over to the elder of the two Elrics, and Al wasted no time in taking his coat off and wrapping it around her._

"Thank you,_" she murmured before turning and snuggling into Edward, holding Al's coat tightly around her._

_The Elrics exchanged looks before continuing to walk back to the rest of the rescue party._

It had been over twenty-four hours since then, and none of them had gotten any sleep. Every once and while one of them would get up to pace up and down the hall, or one would go and ask for food for them all, or someone would take a trip to the bathroom. However, none of them wanted to be the ones sleeping when the news came from the ER.

Edward looked over at his younger brother, wondering how he was dealing. The seventeen-year-old had hardly spoken since they had arrived at the hospital, instead opting to stare at the door and play with his fingers. Somehow, the older Elric suspected that the entire ordeal had affected his brother more than the boy thought. He had noticed this over the past couple of months, and now there was this. Al had been incredibly distraught when he discovered that Karmyn had been kidnapped. He had seemed different throughout the month that they had been waiting. Then, when they found her, he had been the one to crouch down to talk to the girl. Then there was the incident with the jacket- Edward had noticed his brother flush red at Karmyn's comments. And now, he was like a zombie, staring at the door and hoping she was okay.

The thing was, Ed could also tell that Al had no clue as to what was happening, which made it even more fun to watch. He smiled as he realized that his little brother was starting to grow up.

-o-O-o-

An hour later, the doors of the ER finally opened. All three of the men outside looked up instantly, hoping to hear the news. Sergeant Cross stood up, walking over to the doctor that stood there.

"How is my daughter? Is she alright?"

The doctor looked at him. "Are you Robert Cross, father of Karmyn Dallas?"

"Yes," the man replied, "and these are her best friends." He gestured to Edward and Alphonse behind him.

"Very well then, follow me," he told them. The Elrics stood up and walked over to where the two older men were standing, and the four of them walked down the hall to the room where Karmyn resided.

The doctor (who introduced himself as Dr. Leigh), informed them of her condition on their way down. "She's stable now," he said, "but she's still in no great condition. We've found multiple cuts and lacerations, as well as multiple bruises. There has been some internal bleeding as well. She has a severe concussion, and is dehydrated and malnourished. There were evident signs of drug usage as well. We've done some tests, but nothing has come back yet as to which drug was used."

With every problem that Dr. Leigh listed, the Elrics felt their hearts sink. Edward, even in the worst of his fights, had never been that beaten up. They supposed that it could have been worse, as they had heard of many cases that were more severe, but this was their friend that they were talking about. And, not to be sexist, but she was a girl. Not to mention that she had never been beaten up in a fight, ever. She usually just escaped them or outsmarted them. There were only three fights that she had been in- the Stone Thief in the Boston Lab, the criminals in Ceredigion, and the Drachman terrorist on the train. In each case, she had outrun them, been saved by someone, or had outsmarted them.

"There is also the slight problem with her mental health," the doctor continued. "She seems sane enough, but she's only talking nonsensically. None of our staff can understand her."

"Oh, that's normal," Edward said, trying to lighten the atmosphere. It only earned him a weird look from the doctor and a small chuckle from Alphonse.

A couple minutes later, they arrived at the hospital room that Karmyn was resting in. "You can visit for a little while, but then she is going to need to get some sleep."

"Thank you," Al said, ever the polite one.

"I shall wait out here for you. Call me in if you need help," Dr. Leigh told them.

Robert Cross nodded at the man before walking into the room. The two Elrics followed after him. Once inside, they were met with the sight of the whitewashed walls and hospital bed. The sight was a bit too familiar for Edward.

Among the whiteness lay Karmyn Dallas, a small splash of color among the whiteness of the room. It wasn't too much color though, as she was still quite pale from her ordeal. The multitudes of bandages she was wrapped in didn't help, either.

Both Ed and Al stalled as they caught sight of the girl. She didn't look the same as the strong girl that had helped them through so much since they met back in Boston. The girl on the bed was weak and frail physically, and severely shaken mentally. Though neither of them spoke it aloud, they both wondered if she would ever be the same again.

"Karmyn, honey. How are you feeling?" her father asked, taking a seat on the chair beside the bed.

She smiled weakly. "_Better,_" she answered, "_Considering there is no possible way that I could be worse_." She laughed feebly at her own joke.

Robert smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm so proud of you for holding on until we could get to you," he praised her, "not many people are strong enough to stand up to that,"

"_Thanks, Dad,_" she said affectionately. "_It wasn't easy. There were many times when I just wanted to give in and spill,_" she admitted. She looked up at Edward and Alphonse. "_I didn't, I promise. At least, nothing that he could use._"

At last recovered from their shock, they made their way over to her bedside. Edward knelt down beside her, fixing her with a serious look. "What did they want? What the fuck could they accomplish by kidnapping you? You aren't military- hell; you don't even have any records! Who was it that caught you?"

Karmyn froze. _They don't know_, she thought, _they don't know a thing. They don't know that the homunculi are alive. Should I tell them? _She paused in her thought. _If I tell them, then that's all they're going to be able to think about. From what I learned, they now look like normal people, and they're spread across the continent. I can't trouble them with this now. What should I say?_

She looked at the intent countenances of her friends' and father's faces. Biting her lip, she answered. "_It was Neidel that caught me,_" she started, _"I didn't see him until it was too late. He used chloroform, or something like it, to knock me out._" That, at least, could be considered the truth. Envy _had_ been Neidel when he abducted her, and he _had _used a chloroform-like substance.

"But why?" Al asked from the other side of her. "Why did he do it? What did the Drachmans want?"

Karmyn gulped. Here was where she would have to start fabricating a lie. "_Noodle had been giving them inside information, so they knew that you two were back. They knew that you had ties to the military, and Noodle also told them about me, and how I was hanging so close to you. They figured that you were sharing some military information with me, and they thought that it would be easier to get information from me than you."_ It sounded plausible, at least to her. She didn't know that her answer had only added to Alphonse's guilt. However, she saw how his face had shifted when she said those words. She could assume that he was feeling something like that.

"_It's alright,_" she said, reaching out with a bandaged hand to rest it upon his own. "_It's not your fault. In no way to I blame you. Either of you."_

"Karmyn," Ed started again, "do you realize that you've been speaking in English since we've rescued you?"

"_I have? I guess I have been . . . _I _guess I can switch back now . . ."_ She fell silent for a few minutes, and the others watched as her mouth moved to try to form the words.

"Karmyn?" her father questioned about the silence.

They all jumped as her hand slammed back down onto the covers of the bed. "_Dammit! I can't! I mean, I can understand what you guys are saying, but when I go to speak it myself, I can't remember the words, and my mouth won't make the sounds."_

"It will probably come back as time goes by," Edward told her, "I've read about cases like this. In situations under extreme duress, the brain subconsciously 'forgets' a language or how to speak. You must have done this unknowingly so that if you did break, you couldn't tell them anything anyway."

"_So you're saying that in time, I will 'remember' how to speak Amestrian again?_"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. It will be difficult until then, as nobody else but us four understand English. You'll need a translator until you can remember."

"_It's a small price to pay,_" Karmyn consented.

They talked for a while longer, until Karmyn complained of a headache. They took this as their cue to leave, telling her that they would be back the next day. She hugged each one in turn before they left, grateful to still be alive. She watched them sadly as they left, but comforted herself with the fact that they said they'd be back. She continued to smile softly as the doctor hurried in, and ignored the pain of the IV that she was given.

She knew that life could never go back to the way it was, no matter how hard she tried. Reluctantly, she withdrew her right hand from underneath the covers of the hospital bed. She bit her lip but refused to cry as she saw that the four fingers on that hand were shorter than they had been before. She could never get used to that. While in prison, Envy had cut them off from the third knuckle up, so she was missing the tips of each finger. Luckily, the Elrics hadn't noticed.

_I always did want to become ambidextrous,_ she thought wryly, laughing internally at the bitter irony. _Mom, can you see me now? You always said that I was destined for great things. Look where I am now! Things can only get better from here, right?_

Quietly, she moved her two palms together, ready to test a theory that she had come up with while in the throes of one of her hallucinations. _Steel,_ she thought, _Iron and Carbon._ Taking a deep breath, she ran her hand along the railing on the side of the bed.

Her heart leapt as, for the first time, she saw blue sparks emanate from beneath her hand. She was met with a shock of pure adrenaline as she continued to rearrange the atoms in her hospital bed, filling the room with a soft blue glow.

_There!_ She nearly wanted to jump out of bed and run circles around the room, _not completely useless after all!_

Life would never be the same again.

-o-O-o-

_Ha-HAH! I bet you didn't expect that!_

_The person that was closest to the correct answer to the question above was _**SeaDevil**_, with "_maybe she couldn't keep herself from revealing stuff, so she forced herself to 'forget' Amestrian, so that Envy wouldn't understand, even if he made her speak._"_

_Thank you for all your guesses, those of you that are competing in the One-Shot Contest, and for your continued support as I write this story!_

_Sayonara!_


	64. 11 April, 1917

_Ookay. I'm back. My computer committed suicide last week, but luckily my dad was able to resurrect it. I am currently thanking Truth, God, or whatever it is you believe in that I copied all my document files into the network drive only two days before I lost everything._

_Well, today is the tenth of June. You have __**9 more days**__ to submit a one-shot for the contest. Currently, I only have one from _Storygirl11_. I'm looking forward to reading everyone else's!_

_I drew a picture of Alphonse carrying Karmyn from the last chapter. However, I have been unable to scan it into my computer. I will let you know as soon as it's up on my DeviantART._

_As you all know, FFN has been having some issues lately regarding stories. That is a rant for another time. I will be putting up a notice as a temporary chapter, to help spread awareness and to gain support to help stop the madness._

_That's about it. Enjoy the chapter :)_

-o-O-o-

**11 April, 1917**

"_Now listen, girlie. I'm getting tired of these games you're playing. It's about time that you gave me some _real_ answers."_

_Karmyn shrank back on the cot that she sat on. Days had passed since she had woken up from her drug-induced stupor, and Envy was getting increasingly more irritated with her stubbornness. He had since refused to unveil any more information to her due to the fact that he could glean nothing from the meager responses she gave._

"_I can't give you anything," Karmyn shot back, albeit wearily. As much as she didn't want to admit it, the time she spent in the frigid room had been wearing her down. She had been given constant, lesser doses of the drug, and half the time she felt as if she wasn't in reality. She had come close to giving information before, only managing to stop herself after the first few words._

_Envy chuckled. "Oh, I think you can," he said slyly. "Maybe not to _me_, but maybe to someone you know a bit better?"_

_Karmyn looked on in horror as Envy slipped away and Edward took his place._

"_Perhaps now you'll be a little more willing," Envy/Edward said, his face contorting into an expression that Karmyn had never before seen on Ed's face._

"_I . . . don't think so," She managed to say, tensing even further than she had before._

"_You brought this upon yourself," Envy/Edward spat, advancing towards her. _

_She cringed. "No, don't! No!"_

-o-

"STOP!" Karmyn sat up abruptly, waking from her vivid dream. She was breathing heavily, and sometime in the night she had broken into a cold sweat. She inhaled shakily, trying to still her trembling hands and her racing heart. She ran the fingers of her left hand back through her hair, bringing it out of her face. She stared down at the white sheets of the hospital bed, unwilling to face the world around her.

She hated this. She hated what the Homunculus had done to her. She hated that she couldn't just get over this as she had so many things in the past. She hated herself at the moment. She needed to be strong for the Elrics, and here she was trembling in a hospital bed. _I'm fine,_ she told herself, _I'll get over this._

After finally moving her gaze from her bedsheets, she wished that she hadn't. Upon seeing the general color of her environment, she froze. Her heart pounded as she stared wide-eyed at the white walls. In her head, she saw the dirtied white walls of her frigid prison. She was unable to escape its grasp, her thoughts continuing on their circling path.

Karmyn had no clue how long she sat like that, the memories taking control of her. She didn't notice the nurse entering with a tray of food until she spoke.

"Miss Dallas, I have your lunch for you," the nurse said. Karmyn jumped, whirling around to the source of the noise. Seeing it was only the nurse, she finally relaxed.

"_Thank you_," she said quietly.

The woman just smiled at her before exiting the room again.

Unconsciously, Karmyn reached for the tray with her right hand before remembering that her fingers had been shortened. Realizing this, she clenched her hand tightly. Pain shot its way up her fingers and though her hand, but she ignored this. If anything, the pain cut its way to her head, clearing it of some of the fog that still resided there.

After maneuvering to retrieve her meal with her other hand, she began eating what was her first proper meal since she had been abducted. Soup and a roll wasn't much, but it was warm. For one that only ate stale bread for a month, it was close to heaven.

After the first few bites, she found that she was ravenous. Within minutes she had finished what lay before her and was wishing for more. Carefully, she set the tray on the bedside table next to her.

. . .

There was absolutely nothing to do in a hospital room, and the whitewashed walls were continuing to get to her. She tried to ignore her surroundings, but it was hard to do. She had to focus on the things that were different from her prison cell- like the window. This room had a large window that looked out on the world. There was even glass in it. And the bed. This bed was nice and comfortable, not like the hard cot that she had taken residence on.

Karmyn sighed, closing her eyes and falling back on the bed. She winced as she disturbed some of her injuries, but eventually relaxed. She would have liked to fall asleep, but she didn't want to have to go through another nightmare.

Staring at the ceiling would have to do. She could feel another headache coming on, and she didn't really want to do anything to aggravate it even further.

-o-O-o-

She was still dealing with the headache a few hours later. For hours, she had done nothing but stare at the blank whiteness of the ceiling. Her mind had wandered back and forth from everything to nothing multiple times. As she lay there though, she could feel herself getting jittery, and a bubble of nervousness was building itself in her chest. She had no clue why, and it was making her antsy.

The door clicked open, and an immediate sense of dread settled in her soul. She couldn't help but remember how that sound often led to interrogation and pain. She sat up suddenly, making an involuntary noise as her injuries protested. Her head whipped toward the door, her heart pounding as it opened.

She sighed in relief and happiness as she saw it was the Elrics. Upon seeing Edward, however, she had to remind herself that this _was_ Edward, and not, in fact, Envy.

"Karmyn," Al said as he and his brother entered the room, "We had someone bring your things down from Briggs. We thought you'd like it if you had some of your own stuff," he explained.

Looking down, Karmyn could now see the small travelling case that the seventeen-year-old held. Tears tried to make their appearance in her eyes, but she forced them back. "_Thank you,_" she said for the second time that day.

"You still haven't lapsed back into Amestrian yet, have you?" Edward commented as he came into the room after Al. This further settled Karmyn's mind, as he had understood what she had said. Envy hadn't.

"_No, not yet,_" She said quietly. She couldn't look either of them in the eyes. They would see that she wasn't who she used to be. They would ask what was wrong, and she wouldn't be able to explain to them why. They would try to treat her differently than they had before, and she wouldn't be able to live with herself if that happened.

She had to pretend to be strong, even if she wasn't. She had to hold the façade that she was all right mentally, even if she was shaken beyond belief. She couldn't have the Elrics look down on her, not after she had spent all this time trying to earn their trust and respect.

Her head still throbbed, and her hands were shaking ever so slightly. The nervousness was still there, and it wasn't going away any time soon. She swallowed hard, and looked up, forcing a smile to her face.

"Are you feeling any better today?" Alphonse asked. "You ate something, that's good, right?"

"_Yeah, I'm feeling a little better,_" she lied, "_I still hurt, but I'm a bit better_." Maybe physically, but there was no way that she was feeling better mentally. _"Do you know how long I'll be here?_" she asked curiously.

"The doctor said you'll probably be in here for a good two weeks, at least. You were hurt pretty bad," Edward explained.

"_Lovely,_" Karmyn muttered. Two weeks of having absolutely nothing to do but deal with her addled mental state. Oh, and rearrange the molecules in the steel of her bedframe. Great fun.

"It won't be too long," Alphonse tried to reassure her, "and then you'll be better and you can continue on with us."

_Doubtful_, she thought. _It will be a long time before I'm ready to travel with them again. Perhaps even longer if I'm going to do something about the homunculi._

The homunculi. That brought her back to the question of whether she should tell the Elrics about what had happened or not. _They've only been back for a few months, _her inner voice reasoned, _and you would put them back into the same situation that they had left?_

_Who are you kidding? You wouldn't be able to do anything yourself,_ another voice told her, _with your current mental and physical state, you'd only get your butt kicked again._

". . . Karmyn?" Edward's questioning brought her out of her mental debate, and she realized that he had been trying to get her attention for a little while now. "Are you okay?" he asked, "You spaced out for a minute there. Is there something wrong?"

"_No,_" she decided, "_no, it's nothing._" She could tell that the Elrics weren't entirely convinced with her statement, but it was the best that she could do.

She started as a small metal object fell onto the sheets in front of her. "_My necklace!"_

"We kind of figured that you would need it," Edward explained.

Karmyn bit her lip, looking down at her hand (her left one) as she grabbed the little metal object. She felt guilty. The Elrics were always doing so much for her, and she couldn't tell them about the one biggest thing that she had come across. She needed to warn them somehow, even if she didn't give everything away.

She stared down at the metal canister, thinking of the day that the Fuhrer had given it to her. He had acted somewhat suspicious . . . could he have known something was up?

She decided to play on her hunch. If it was wrong, then there was nothing lost.

"_Actually,_" she said, "_I need you to go back to Central. I did gain some information that would be useful to Amestris._"

The Elrics looked at each other, somewhat surprised, but Karmyn continued on. "_Tell Fuhrer Grumman that his suspicions were right. He was right. And you need to keep your guard up. Assume that something big is going to happen. Continue studying alchemy. You're going to need it._"

"Karmyn . . . ?"

"_Don't ask what. Just take this information and make the most of it. I'm afraid that I can't tell you any more than that."_

"I don't know what your purpose for this is," Edward said gravely, "but I trust that you know what you're doing, and that you'll give us the full story as soon as you're better."

Karmyn nodded, causing her headache to flare painfully. Unconsciously, she grabbed the sides of her head and clenched her eyes tight, waiting for the pain to subside. As soon as it did, she realized what she had done.

"Karmyn? What happened to your hand?" Al asked warily, concerned.

Shoot. How was she going to explain this one?

-o-O-o-

_There we go. It's not the best chapter ever . . . but it's a chapter. You can see her PTSD and withdrawal from the drug she was on starting to take effect . . ._

_I have a poll up on my profile- _Throughout the story, has Karmyn become more or less of a Mary-Sue?_ Don't answer here- just tell me through the poll._

**Important announcement following this line!**

_**I'm splitting **__**In Truth, None of it Was Fiction **__**to be two stories. With my plans for it, putting it in one story will make it waaaaayy too long. I'd say that I have 2-4ish chapters left before I finish this one and start the second. It will be the same exact thing that I was originally planning to write, don't worry. And I still have a sequel (now the third book) planned for you.**_

_**It's a new year, a new part of the story, a new side of Karmyn- I feel that it needs a new story.**_

_**The tentative title is **__**When Lies Aren't Enough**__**. I hope that you all reading here will jump with me to the new story. I will post a notice on here when I get the new one up, so that you know when it is.**_

_Alright? I hope this doesn't inconvenience you too much._

_Sayonara!_


	65. 26 April, 1917

_Today is June 16, 2012. You have_ **3-4 days** _to submit your one-shot for the contest. You can PM it to me, or email it to _philosophium116 gmail . com.

_I'm out of school now. I am now officially a sophomore in high school. My, how the time flies._

_BTW, I got 20 reviews for the chapter I did before the last one, and 10 for the last one. What happened?_

_Alright. I guess you're looking forward to the chapter. Let's go._

-o-O-o-

**26 April, 1917**

Karmyn winced as she shrugged into the black jacket that the Elrics had made her. Despite having been mostly bed-ridden for the past two weeks, her injuries had not completely healed. However, the teenaged girl refused to remain in the white hospital room for any longer. She was sick and tired of having flashbacks and thinking she was back in Drachma when she woke up every morning.

She smiled at the familiar feel of the fabric of the flamel-adorned coat. It wasn't the same one that she had before- that one had been destroyed in Drachma. Upon her return, the Elrics had seen this and decided to make her a new one to replace it. It was identical in every way, from the color to the position of the flamel in the corner. The only thing different was that it fit her a little better than the other one had- she guessed that the brothers had estimated her size a little better after knowing her for months.

The one thing that she thanked the heavens for was the fact that she had taken her iPod out of her pocket before going to see the General in Briggs. It had escaped the horrors that she had gone through, and it had returned to its rightful place in her pocket. She had lost her staff that Winry made her, however. Envy had been quick to confiscate and destroy it upon finding it on her person.

She was still thinking as she pulled on a pair of white gloves. In the right one, she had stuffed the ends of the fingers with little pieces of bandage that she had acquired from the nurses. Her fingers had mostly healed, meaning that they had at least scabbed over. It wouldn't take much to reopen them, and they were still quite tender to the touch. She still kept them bandaged, both to protect them and to hide the sight from her vision.

It had taken a little more effort to get the gloves on than it should have. She had found that in the past few weeks, she had grown increasingly more shaky, pounding headaches were common, and she had a perpetual sense of nervousness in her chest. She didn't need a doctor to tell her what was wrong- she had put the signs together. She was going through a withdrawal of the drug that she had been given constantly while in the clutches of Envy. She was thankful that she had no clue what the drug was, so she was unable to give into her body's cravings for more of the stuff. If she had known, she didn't know if her mind could have stopped her body from obtaining it and falling even deeper into the hole she was in already.

Karmyn thanked whatever was out there every day for the fact that she had friends like the Elrics. They had visited her constantly for a few days after her admission before she insisted that they couldn't spend two weeks doing nothing in the north. They had returned her stuff to her. They had made her a new coat. They were always _there_ for her, and she knew that if she ever needed help, she could ask them.

She could still remember their reaction from a few weeks before when she had unknowingly showed them her hand.

"_Karmyn? What happened to your hand?" Al asked warily, concerned._

_Karmyn sighed as she lowered her hands, resting them in her lap. There was no point in hiding it anymore. "_I don't have the tips of my fingers anymore,_" she said outright._

"_What!" Alphonse stared at her as if he had just been told something earth-shattering._

"Exactly what I said,_" Karmyn told him calmly, "_En-Noodle was irritated that that I wouldn't talk, so he decided to torture me._" She shrugged, acting as if it wasn't a big deal. It wasn't like she would ever get her fingers back._

"_That BASTARD," Al cried, slamming a fist into his open palm. He spun away quickly, walking away from where Karmyn lay and Edward sat._

"_Don't worry," Edward quickly covered for him. "He was just worried about you. He'll be okay. Just give him a little bit."_

"Alright,_" Karmyn consented quietly. "_It's not really a big deal. You lost an arm and a leg. I lost a couple fingertips. So what?_"_

_Ed looked at her with his eyebrows raised a bit. "You're strong," he told her, "Somehow you manage to put on a straight face through most things. Life hasn't been easy for you these past few months, and yet you still try not to worry us."_

_Where was this going? Was Edward actually trying to say something profound? Karmyn listened intently, paying attention to his every word._

"_What I'm trying to say," he continued, "is that you shouldn't try to deal with everything by yourself. I've tried that- it doesn't work all that well. You'll only end up stressing yourself out. You need to ask for help sometimes. There are some things that you can't get through alone, alright? Let me and Al help, at the least. We owe you quite a few already."_

_Karmyn smiled softly, trying to reassure him. "Thank you," she said in a near-whisper._

_Ed smiled as well. She hadn't completely forgotten Amestrian, even if she didn't realize it herself._

-o-O-o-

Karmyn broke out of her memory and grabbed the leather travel case that lay beside the hospital bed in which she had resided for the past two weeks. It was weird carrying it in her left hand, but it was better than the pain she knew she would experience if she held it in her right. She quietly left the hospital room and treaded down the hall to the reception desk.

She quickly checked herself out silently. She couldn't speak with anyone other than the Elrics or her father. Nobody else in Amestris would understand her. She felt a sinking feeling of depression dig its claws into her as she left the hospital. As she wrapped her coat tighter around herself to protect her from the cold, she wondered where she would go.

Where _could_ she go? She immediately found a hole in her plan. What plan?

_The _plan.

As she was stuck in bed with no company for a week and a half, she had been going over events and possibilities in her head. So many things had happened in the past month.

- She had discovered that the Homunculi were still at large  
>- She had found that the Homunculi no longer looked like themselves, but still had their powers<br>- She discovered that she could use alchemy  
>- She had lost parts of her hand<br>- She had a case of PTSD and drug withdrawal  
>- She realized that she needed to learn how to fight in order to keep up<p>

There was more to her plan than that, but those were the main factors behind it. She didn't know why she couldn't tell the Elrics about Envy and the homunculi. She had reasoned that it was because they would immediately start going after them, when they didn't even know what they looked like or what their plans were. She reasoned that it was because that eventually the nation would find out, and they would panic, especially after the events of the year before. She reasoned that if they did go after Envy, that he would know that she had told them and then he would come after _her_.

She reasoned, she reasoned. But inside, she knew that she was lying to herself, despite how reasonable the reasons were.

The real reason was that she wanted to prove that she wasn't useless, that she was just as good as either of the Elrics were. She wanted to prove that she belonged in Amestris, that she wasn't just freeloading after accidentally being swept into the country because she couldn't mind her own business. She wanted to prove that the incident with Envy hadn't incapacitated her forever. She wanted to prove to Envy that he didn't scare her, that it was a bad idea to have abducted her.

She wanted to live the life of one of those OCs she found in fanfiction stories, the badass girls with the alchemy that help the Elrics save Amestris. Again.

She would never live the life of a regular teenage girl again, so why even try? Who needed to learn Pre-Calc or Modern World Studies or AP Chem or Physics? They certainly wouldn't help her now. Who cared about 'who-likes-who' or 'so-and-so-did-this' when alchemy and Homunculi and evil plots were so much more exciting?

She had always daydreamed about living in Amestris- why not make that dream a reality that she could be proud of? She didn't need to hang of the Elrics' coattails to survive. She was a strong, independent young lady, and she could do things on her own.

Feeling a bit more worked up, Karmyn raised her head confidently and took the first steps forward.

-o-O-o-

It was not easy, making her way southward. For one, she couldn't speak Amestrian, so she had to resort to gestures and signs to get people to understand what she was saying. Buying train tickets was the hardest. Still, she eventually managed to obtain one train ticket to Resembool, and she was on her way.

On the train, however, she was saddled with her guilt over leaving the Elrics behind. They had done so much for her, and she decided to run away just after Edward asked her to let them help her. She told herself that she would. She would let them help her, but only after she was able to keep up with them both alchemically and physically. Once she was able to fight and no longer needed them to protect her, then she would allow them back into her life.

People on the train gave her odd looks. At first, she wondered what could possibly be wrong, but she then remembered the scars that lined the side of her face. Suddenly self-conscious, she couldn't stop herself from running her fingers across them, tracing the lines they made on her face. She untucked her hair from behind her ear and let if fall across her face, hiding the marred skin from curious onlookers. She turned to look out the window, and remained in that position for the hours that remained of the ride.

She switched trains once on her trip, but to her delight she found it unnecessary to go through the motions of finding an inn to say at. Literally, considering that she couldn't speak.

Karmyn contemplated her plan as she traveled to the little town of Resembool. Was she honestly ready to do this? She was still thinking as she landed at Resembool station. It was dark out, but it was much warmer than the cold winter night that she had last arrived.

What was it that she had thought that night that she had stepped off that train?

Oh yea-

_Boku wa yuku yo mada minu sekai e.  
><em>I am going to a yet- unseen world.

_Well, it looks like I'm there._

-o-O-o-

_Okay, readers. I'm really close to the end of this story, closer than I thought I was. In fact, the next chapter may be the last, and then the winner of the one-shot contest._

_In case the next chapter is the last one, I'd like to do all of my author's note-y stuff here._

_I have really enjoyed writing this story. It's been with me all throughout my freshman year, and I'm really sad to close it out. When I was bored in class, my thoughts often strayed to this story, and where it was going. When I got home from school after I updated, I would immediately run to see if I had reviews. After I got my iPhone, I checked immediately after the bell rang._

_I have drawn a multitude of pictures for this story, some of which I have not yet published due to spoilers. I remember explaining my idea to my sister last summer, sitting on the swings of my swingset. This has been a major part of my life all this year, and I'm really glad it has._

_This story led me to becoming friends with my now-friend Minori, who lives in Japan. We try to videochat whenever we get a chance, even if it's not that often._

_This led me to becoming e-pals with a certain FFN user, and I like to think that I've been able to help her though some of the issues in her life, or at least be a soul that's willing to listen when she needs to talk about something._

_I love all of you. Even though I don't know you, I feel like I do. I've been reading your reviews and PMing back and forth with you all. I'd like to thank you all for that._

_I hope the hundreds of you that have followed/favorite/reviewed this story will follow me to the sequel, which is yet-unnamed though I have some ideas._

_I appreciate the time that you've taken out of your lives to read this story, especially at the beginning when I had no clue what I was doing and the writing sucked._

_Thank you so much-  
><em>Arigatou gosaimasu.

_-KarmaHope  
>(Dana M.)<em>


	66. 26 & 27 April, 1917

_I have this chapter and the epilogue done. I am also halfway through the first chapter of the sequel already. I write really quickly in the summer, as those of you who were with me last year already know._

_You have one or two days to get your oneshot in, but if you message me saying it's going to take you a little longer, I will understand and I'll extend the deadline. I only have two at the moment, and that's not much of a competition._

_The official title of the next one is _The Unseen World_, due to the fact that the one line from _Hologram_ has influenced this story so much._

_Note at the end of the chapter the section in which the first line and the last line have a (-) before it. That is the one scene that practically inspired this entire flipping story._

-o-O-o-

**26 April, 1917**

Karmyn stepped out onto the desolate station platform. She jumped, whirling around as she heard a rustle in the bushes nearby. Her heart pounded even as she realized that it had only been the wind. Immediately, she was set on edge. This wasn't the train, this wasn't one of the more populated stations. She was alone, and night had fallen. She had never been afraid of the dark before, but she couldn't shake the sense of paranoia that had fallen upon her.

She felt as if someone was out there, watching her every move. Was it Envy? Could he possibly have guessed where Karmyn would return to upon leaving the hospital? Did he regret not killing her when he had a chance? Was he out to finish the job now? She could feel her hands starting to shake once more upon her agitation.

Biting her lip, she clenched her hand around her leather case even tighter. She dug her fingernails into the palm of her hand as she stuffed her injured hand into the pocket of her jacket. It was about a mile up the road to the Rockbell residence, a mile more than Karmyn wanted to have to walk alone. Her eyes flicked back and forth as she started walking up the dirt road. She hated how she jumped at every little noise. She hated how insecure she felt out in the open. She hated how goddamn useless she felt.

It was a rather warmish spring night, but she still wrapped her coat tighter around herself. She was going to take any ounce of security she could get. She had debated listening to music on the walk up the road, but in the end she hadn't. Music could have prevented her from hearing something that would save her life. She had no weaponry on her. She had a gimpy hand. She was jumpier than a rabbit on caffeine. She wouldn't last a minute against anything.

She could feel herself getting weaker as she walked. She hadn't done anything strenuous in months, and she could feel its toll on her now. Her legs were wobbling, and the anxiety was building in her chest once more. She bit her tongue as she swerved off to the side of the road, taking a seat on the stone wall that had always been conveniently placed along the road.

She dropped her travel case on the ground beside her as she tucked her legs up underneath herself, curling herself into a ball. She grasped her head between her hands as she clenched herself as tightly as possible, making herself as small as possible. The panic in her chest had gone to her head, forming into one of her all-out anxiety attacks. Nothing on the outside mattered. She couldn't pay attention to anything but the feeling in her chest and head as the panic overtook her. She had been dealing with these since she had arrived in Amestris, but this was definitely one of the worse ones she had gone through.

Tears ran down her face as she braced herself against the pain. She drew in short rasping breaths, shuddering as she exhaled. Her eyes were clenched tight, and her head was drawn to her knees. As soon as she recovered, she would be grateful that there was no one around at that time of night to see her break down like that. Karmyn continued to draw in deep shaky breaths as her body began to relax itself. She slid off the wall and settled down so that her back was against it.

There, she let the tears stream down silently, burying her face in her knees. Her breathing was uneven and jerky, but she didn't make any noise, just waiting as the sobs wracked through her body quietly. Many minutes later, she started to still. She was exhausted and, without meaning to, she slipped into unconsciousness.

"_You draw, don't you?" The question seemed to cut through her like a knife, more of a statement than a question. "I do seem to remember that little bit of information about you."_

_She was helpless as she sat there, strapped to the metal chair in the desolate room. Her arms were attached to the desk that was bolted to the floor in front of her. Unlike other times, she was completely lucid. She hadn't been drugged in days? Weeks? She had no sense of time in this place. The only thing that mattered was that for the first time in a while, she had her wits about her._

"_You may want to consider cooperating," Envy told her, "I'd hate to see you lose that ability, especially when you were so good at it."_

_He was fondling a small knife with a sadistic smile fixed upon his face. With his last sentence, he allowed the edge of the blade to caress her right index finger lightly._

_To say that she was scared shitless was an understatement. She knew exactly what the Homunculus was getting at, and she was already trying to brace herself for the pain she knew was imminent. She would not be leaving this facility intact._

"You won't get me to talk,_" Karmyn told him, and she winced upon seeing the rage cross his face._

"_Speak so I can understand you, girl. You do value your hand, don't you?"_

"Am I not saying it clearly enough?_" she asked incredulously, "_I said that you won't be getting answers out of me!_"_

"_That's it," Envy said, "You _will_ talk, even if I have to beat it out of you."_

_He brought the knife down upon her finger._

"No," Karmyn whimpered softly, a couple tears leaking down her face. Her eyes shot open, and she was shocked to discover that the sun was starting to peek its head over the horizon. Had she honestly fallen asleep against the wall last night?

She tried to leap back as a shadow fell upon her, a silhouette appearing in her vision. She only succeeded in bumping her head against the stones of the wall. She rubbed her eyes with her good hand and looked up at the man that stood before her.

"Miss?" The man asked her concernedly, "Are you alright?"

Karmyn quickly searched his face for any ill intentions, but she couldn't find any. As her brain started working again, she recognized him as one of the farmers that she had seen in the anime so many months ago.

"Yes," she answered slowly, pushing herself to her feet, "thank you."

The man watched her as she picked up her case and started walking up the road again. She didn't look okay, but it seemed as if she knew where she was going. He didn't have the time to worry about her- he had to get to work.

_I must look like such a mess,_ Karmyn thought wryly. _I'm surprised that he didn't call the cops or something._ She walked for a few more steps before something occurred to her. _Hey, I managed to speak Amestrian. It was hardly sentences, but it was something._

Her stomach growled, and she realized that she hadn't had anything to eat since she left the hospital. She nearly collapsed in relief as she saw the yellow house enter her vision. Only a little bit longer, and then she would be there. She found it in herself to push a little bit harder, to walk a little bit faster.

Den was sitting on the porch as Karmyn came stumbling up to the building. Curious, she stood up and made her way down the steps to where the teenager had paused. Karmyn smiled weakly as Den sniffed around her.

"_Hey, Den. It's me, Karmyn. I'm back,_" she murmured.

The black-and-white dog whined softly, giving a quiet bark before pushing its nose into Karmyn's bandaged hand. She thought that she vaguely remembered this human, but it had been so long, and she smelled differently now.

Karmyn practically dragged her case up the steps to the Rockbells' front door. She knocked heavily before resting her weight against the clapboard siding. She honestly didn't know if she could stay upright for much longer. On a second thought, she moved her hair into her face to hide her scars. She didn't want to scare Winry right away.

She straightened back out as she heard the door begin to open. She shifted from foot to foot, glancing around her nervously.

"Hello? Rockbell resid- oh my God, Karmyn?"

"Hey, Winry . . ." Karmyn said shyly, looking up at her through her hair.

"Oh, my God! Karmyn! I haven't heard from you in forever! How have you been?" The taller blonde stepped forward and enclosed the shorter one in a large hug. Karmyn froze slightly before tentatively returning the hug.

"Come in! Come in!" She said, picking up Karmyn's luggage. "Granny! Karmyn's here!" she yelled back into the house.

Karmyn followed the energetic teen into the building, taking a seat on one of the couches in the living room. For the first time since what seemed like forever ago, she felt comfortable and _safe_. The Rockbells' house was the closest thing she had to a physical home, even if she had only been here for a few weeks in January.

"So, come on!" Winry said as she sat down on the opposite side of the couch, facing Karmyn, "Spill! What's happened since you left? I haven't seen you in forever!"

-o-O-o-

In the end, Winry never did get the story right away. Karmyn was tired and hungry, and Pinako had seen that. The older lady insisted that she eat something and sleep, and had prevented Winry from bombarding her with any more questions for the time being. Karmyn had been extremely grateful for the reprieve, and had done exactly what Pinako had asked of her. She ate hungrily, took a shower, and went up to bed.

She didn't sleep very well. She tossed and turned for what seemed like hours, and when she did finally get to sleep, her dreams were once again plagued by nightmares. After she woke up around one pm in a cold sweat, she decided that it wasn't much use to try anymore.

She crossed over into Winry's room, where she found the girl hard at work sketching out an automail design for one of her customers. For a few minutes, Karmyn just let her work before making her presence known.

"Karmyn!" Winry exclaimed, whirling around. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Only . . . a couple minutes," Karmyn responded. While it was slower, it was still in Amestrian, and it was still a sentence, and it was still an improvement.

"Come in, sit down," Winry said, gesturing to her bed. Karmyn took the offer, perching on the edge of the piece of furniture. Something must have shown on her face, as it prompted the Amestrian girl to ask, "What's wrong?"

Karmyn bit her lip. "You . . . should . . . know. Things have not . . . been . . . as great as . . . you probably . . . think." It was an effort to speak the Amestrian words, and she had to think before she spoke each word. Still, she was speaking Amestrian. Karmyn theorized that it must have had something to do with the fact that she was speaking with someone she trusted in a secure environment.

"Karmyn . . . ? Are you okay?" Winry asked hesitantly, worry clearly expressed on her face. "What happened?"

The American took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "First . . . I can not . . . speak . . . Amestrian as well . . . as I could. So please . . . be patient . . . with me."

With that, Karmyn delved into her tale as well as possible. Winry listened patiently, occasionally adding her opinion or asking a question. Every now and then she prompted Karmyn with a word that the other girl still couldn't quite remember. They sat in that room for hours, clearing details up and allowing Karmyn to reacquaint herself with the language. As she spoke, she was gradually becoming more fluent, as if she was remembering what it felt like to speak the language.

She had suspicions, however, that once they left the room, or if Pinako entered, she would go back to the way she was speaking before.

Winry was horrified as Karmyn continued to tell her story. Afterward, she was practically speechless. "So, you mean to tell me that you purposely left before the Elrics got there in the hopes that you could run away?"

"Not run away," Karmyn corrected, "wait until . . . I'm stronger."

The room fell silent. Karmyn looked down at her bandaged hand- the one thing that she hadn't told Winry about yet. Well, that and the fact that she was pretty sure that she was going through withdrawal and had PTSD.

**-**"Winry?" She asked, extremely softly, "Just how small . . . can someone make automail?"

Winry looked at her with a questioning light in her eyes. "Uhm, pretty small . . . why do you ask?"

"Like . . . could you make something as small as a . . . toe or a fingertip?"

"Karmyn," the other girl said with a wary tone in her voice, "why are you asking this?"

Karmyn sighed, looking down at her hand. Slowly, she began to unwrap her injured hand, revealing the stumps that were left of her fingers. With an extremely wry smile, she held her hand up for Winry to see. The mechanic gasped in disbelief.

"Karmyn . . ."

"Tell me," Karmyn demanded, "is it possible?"

"I don't know!" Winry exclaimed, "I've never done anything like it before!"

"Do. You. Think. It's. Possible?" There was certain steel in the girl's voice that made a shiver run down the mechanic's back. This wasn't the same girl that she had known a few months ago. She had changed. She was no longer the naïve girl that had mistakenly ended up in Amestris- she had seen horrors that some people never even saw in their worst nightmares.

"It might be," Winry consented, slightly intimidated. "I can ask Granny about it as well."

"Thank you," Karmyn told her, the harsh tone fading from her voice. "I'll want a matching set for this hand, too. And the thumbs."

"WHAT? Karmyn, that would mean amputat-"

**-**"I KNOW," Karmyn cut her off firmly. "I know. But it's something that I need to do."

Winry sighed, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. "You've changed, Karmyn. You've changed. If you're dead set on doing this, you need to come down with me to talk to Granny. I don't know if you understand what you're asking for, but if you insist, we can probably do something."

"Thank you," Karmyn whispered softly as she followed the other girl out of the room.

Winry may not think that Karmyn knew what she was doing, but she did. It wasn't going to be easy, but if it would help her become stronger, if it would help her with her goals, if it would help her become an asset to the Elrics-

Then she was damn well gonna do it, screw the consequences.

In truth, none of it was fiction, and she couldn't go and pretend that it was.

It was time for her to fight her reality in order to save Amestris for the second time.

-o-O-o-

_Epilogue, and then we're done._


	67. My Dearest Friends,

_My dearest friends Edward and Alphonse Elric,_

_You will never read this letter. In fact, you will never read any of the letters that I ever deign to write you. This is the reason why I have decided to write to you now._

_I'm sorry. I know that I have probably all but shattered your trust in me. Especially after you, Edward, gave me that talk about trusting people and letting them help me, and not shouldering the entire burden by myself. You considered me a friend, and let me into your exclusive little circle. Then, I go and run away from you when I probably need you two the most._

_You have probably gone back to the hospital by now, expecting me to be there waiting for you. You were expecting that I had recovered, and that we could go on the way we had before. I'm sorry. That was one thing that could not have possibly happened under any circumstances._

_I was drugged while in Envy's captivity. That's right- Envy. I never did tell you, did I? I only gave you a cryptic request to go tell the Fuhrer that he was right. Well, I'm telling you now, to get some things off my chest. _

_It was Envy that captured me. Envy had posed as Captain Neidel to get inner intelligence on the Amestrian Military. He was also the one that started the entire Drachman/Amestrian war, which I imagine by now is in full scale. We don't get much news here in Resembool. I've heard that the State Alchemists were called into action. I do hope that you are still safe, Edward, and by default Alphonse too. I know that you wouldn't let your brother go to war by himself. Even if you're not in the military, you would have followed him out there._

_Anyhow- back to Envy causing the war. This may shock you, but _Envy is Andrei Utkin_. I've seen it with my own eyes. He even told me himself. See, I have a theory. You remember how Greed just sorta dissipated into the air at the end of the giant fight with Father? I have reason to believe that his spirit just went and found some human that was especially greedy, and inhabited the body._

_Just think about it- the seven sins are never truly gone in this world. There will always be someone affected by gluttony, or greed, or lust, sloth, envy, pride or wrath. You can't kill or eliminate the sins, meaning the actual sins or the homunculi, which are the embodiments of the seven sins. It made a lot more sense in my head- I only hope you can understand it the way I wrote it here._

_Envy, when he was killed, dissipated into the atmosphere as well I imagine, even if you didn't see it. He went to find someone that was envious- in this case, the younger brother of the leader of Drachma. It makes sense- Andrei was probably extremely envious of his brother, who got to rule the country just because he was older._

_I suspect that all of the homunculi are out there, and all of them have retained their powers, although they may not look the same. Envy does, just because that _is _his power. Envy used this power to make Andrei 'disappear,' and he blamed it on Amestris. Do not ask why, I do not know what his motives were._

_Where was I? Oh, yea. That's right. I was drugged in Envy's captivity. I never told you, but I am currently suffering from a rather strong case of PTSD and withdrawal. Even if I had gone with you, I would have only held you down. _

_I'm not sleeping very well because of that. I'm only ever getting three to five hours of sleep at night. Sometimes I can make up for it during the day, but I do hate taking naps. Alphonse, I can finally understand your issue with insomnia. It's not a pleasant thing, especially when nightmares are added to the mix. I admire you for being able to deal with it for over ninety years. I hope that it is getting better for you as time goes on. Hopefully it will for me, too._

_I have automail now. I had Winry and Pinako replace my fingertips with metal ones. I even had my remaining fingertips on my left hand and on my thumbs removed, so they could replace those as well. Do not think I have lost anything- quite on the contrary. This is the first amount of major writing I have done since the operation took place, as a test to see if I can still use my hands. It was a risky procedure- Winry and Pinako had never done something like this before. But Ed, you should-be-girlfriend is amazing. The surgery went through without a hitch._

_I also discovered I could use alchemy- another thing that I have never told you. It makes sense now, considering that I have been through the Gate, meaning I now have one, and I've also seen the Truth. I can do alchemy without using circles, even. I think when I tried before, I always got the circles wrong. Then, when I tried to do alchemy, it wouldn't work. I was just too busy thinking about staying alive and that I was in Amestris and everything else that I completely forgot the fact that I had actually been through the Gate. It sounds stupid, but it's true._

_God, I feel like such a horrible person now that I realize that I've never told you much about what's been going on in my life. I knew everything about you, yet you know nothing about me. I'm sorry. I really am. I hope that you will be able to forgive me, when I see you again. _

_Yes, I will be seeing you again, I promise. I may be screwed up and everything right now, but in a few years, I will be with you again. I only hope that you have not forgotten me by then, and that you have moved on to other things. I hope that you will not be cursing my name as the girl that left you. I hope that you will be able to learn to trust me again._

_Honestly, I need you. I lost my best friend Katherine Green when I crossed the Gate. Considering the time difference, she is probably long dead by now. I lost my mother when I crossed over. She's probably still in Truth's domain, stuck in an eternity of whiteness. I really don't have any friends other than you two and Winry. And while Winry's great, I really miss the two of you._

_I'm going to try for a State Alchemist title. I know that you would disapprove. But I'm not that weak anymore. I have to be able to fight for Amestris, especially with the information I know. It's just as much my country as your country now._

_I need to prove that I belong here. I need to prove that Envy can't beat me. I need to build confidence in myself. I need to make sure that my mother didn't waste her life in giving it up for me._

_I need to prove that I'm worth as much time as you've put into me._

_It will likely be years until I see either of you again. Until that day, I pray to whatever's out there that you two will remain safe. Well, maybe not safe, but at least alive and in a condition from which you can recover fully. Know that I think of the both of you every day, and I will continue to do so until I'm with you again._

_You are my motivation that gets me through each and every day, through all the pain that I may be in, and through all the difficulties that I may encounter._

_My guiding light, my beacon, my hope._

_You're never going to read this, but I hope that somewhere, deep inside, you know that. I pray that I will remain as big a part of your life as you will be in mine. _

_This is not over yet. In a way, this is only the beginning._

_Stay strong, my dear friends, and face whatever life throws your way with the indomitable temerity that I know you possess._

_Your loving, regretful friend and companion,_

Karmyn Marie Dallas

_PS: Edward, I've raided your bedroom in the Rockbells' place. I've stolen all your alchemy textbooks and have been putting them to good use. I shall return them when I am finished. Please don't be mad._


	68. The Unseen World is up!

The Unseen World is now published. You will be able to find it on my profile.

I am afraid that updates will take longer with this story, most likely, as the chapters are about twice as long as in Truth & Fiction.

The first chapter chapter will go up sometime within the next two weeks.


	69. Rewriting Fiction is UP!

**The rewrite of this story has been posted.**

**Rewriting Fiction**_**:  
><strong>_Sometimes, extraordinary things happen to ordinary people. It used to be that Kai Dallas' biggest concerns were gymnastics, making Top Ten, and her cheating boyfriend. Suddenly, she finds herself caught up in Red Stones and grey Gates and gold-eyed alchemists, and... well, with extraordinary things come extraordinary sacrifices.

_This story is written with the same characters with the same concept as to the relationship between Amestris and our world. The 'endgame plot,' which I never got to in either Truth & Fiction or The Unseen World, remains the same. However, the actions taken which lead them to these events are entirely different ... different enough that while it's the same story, it's not the same story at all._

_Karmyn is more relatable, and receives more character development._

_Kathy plays a much larger, much more involved role._

_Karmyn ends up in Amestris for a much more realistic reason than a wallet._

_Getting ripped away from her family and home affects Karmyn much more than in this story._

_The relationship between Alphonse and Karmyn comes much more naturally (aka it actually happens)._

_I know I am the author and therefore biased, but while I am usually extremely critical of my writing, I reread these chapters to edit them and think, yes. Yes, this is good. So if you've finished this and want more ... go check it out._

**Updated every other Saturday around 11:00 am**


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